No Good Deed
by AthanMortis
Summary: Link has returned to Hyrule after traveling through various lands in his search for Navi, fighting even more apocalyptic beings and gaining a greater arsenal than he has any right to. He has excellent timing, because a great tournament is beginning in Hyrule. Should be fun… Right?
1. Return

**The Legend of Zelda doesn't belong to me. I only own the plot and the occasional OC. I won't be repeating this, because once should be enough to cover my ass.**

* * *

He breathed the clean air in deeply, enjoying the nostalgic scent of Hyrule Field from atop his loyal mare, who whinnied her own happiness at their return. He chuckled softly and bent forward to lightly pat her neck. "Good to be back, isn't it, Epona?" He got another light whicker in response.

Link smiled as he sat back up, gently guiding her along towards the large, walled complex of Lon Lon Ranch in the distance, looking forward to seeing the girl who'd gifted Epona to him. He was sure she would be happy to see her beloved horse again after years apart.

He sighed with happiness as he let his head fall back, looking up at the blue sky, wisps of cloud drifting lazily along its expanse. It was hard to believe he'd been gone so long. Sometimes it didn't seem real. But now he was back, and he looked forward to relaxing for a while. He'd need to see about visiting all his friends. He wondered how they were doing.

Their pace was unhurried as they wandered along the expanse of the Field, simply enjoying the sensation of being back home, so that the sun was beginning to set by the time they reached Lon Lon Ranch's large gateway, the sounds of the many animals housed within its walls easily audible. Epona increased her pace eagerly, looking forward to being in her old home.

They made their way in to the area the horses were kept in as Link looked around with interest. Not much had changed. The buildings were well cared for, as always, Ingo was working on some hay near the corner of one of the building, cuccos were wandering around, waiting to maul the unwary (Link had a particular grudge against the feathered menaces), the horses were running and grazing contentedly, and… there she was.

The red hair of Malon stood out amongst the green of the grass as she stood in the middle of horses, tending to them and murmuring sweet words Link couldn't hear. Epona once more increased her pace at the sight of her old mistress, quickly making her way to her family and whinnied to one of her favorite Hylians.

Malon turned around at the sound, allowing Link to see her properly now. She was exceptionally beautiful, even more so than he remembered her being in the future that would not be. Her pretty face lacked the lines and exhaustion that living through such a terrible time had prematurely given her, and she seemed altogether healthier. Her large brown eyes were alive with a mischievous sparkle that had been missing from her alternate self, and her body was somehow even more filled out, which was something he couldn't help but notice.

Malon looked at them curiously for a moment before her eyes went wide. "E-Epona!?"

Epona tossed her head and moved forward to nuzzle the girl as Link quickly and easily slid off the saddle.

"Epona!" Malon cried happily as she wrapped her arms around the mare's neck, holding her tight as an enormous grin spread across her face, her calloused hands running along her white mane. "Oh, I can't believe you're back! I'm so happy to see you!"

Link smiled as he stood back and watched, arms crossed as he waited. Somehow he got the impression that Malon hadn't even noticed him when she caught sight of Epona.

Of course, he found himself proven wrong when Malon let Epona go, wiping a tear from her eye, before turning to Link with a fierce glare that would have cowed a Stalfos. "And you! Where have you been for the past seven years with Epona, huh!?" She advanced on Link, making him backpedal with wide eyes as she poked a dainty finger against his chest. "Seven years, fairy boy! I expected at least a visit every once in a while, but no! You had to vanish! I started to think you were dead!" She planted her fists on her hips and glared with all the fury she could muster.

Link gave a sheepish smile. "…Sorry…"

Malon kept her glare up for a few more seconds before her lips curled into a smile and she wrapped her arms around Link. "I missed you, you stupid boy." Link chuckled softly and returned the hug. Then she pulled back and held him at arms length. "Let me get a look at you."

Malon studied her old friend. He was wearing a green tunic similar to what he'd worn as a child, except it was of a better, more durable material she wasn't familiar with. It felt sort of like leather, but not quite. A white undershirt and white traveling trousers added protection and actually pulled the look together, and she could feel the chainmail shirt he wore underneath the tunic, the ends of it peeking out of the hems of the green material. Sturdy brown traveling boots and gloves with bracers protected his hands and feet. Completing the ensemble was his usual green pointed hat, this one a bit longer than it used to be, and a sky blue sort of short cloak that was wrapped around his neck like a scarf. A sword and shield were naturally strapped to his back.

A small bit of color appeared on Malon's cheeks. "Looking good, fairy boy. You've been taking care of yourself, I see." Link nodded as the girl let him go to return to petting Epona. "Where have you been all these years?"

Link shrugged. "Travelling. Lots of places. Other kingdoms and lands."

Malon shook her head with a smile. Her friend had apparently not changed in his preference for short, concise responses. "Were they interesting? I never even thought of leaving Hyrule, but I bet you've seen some strange things."

Link snorted at the understatement she'd unwittingly made. "Yes, some pretty odd stuff. I might show you some time."

Malon nodded. "Looking forward to it. So, want to stay the night? It's a bit too late for you to make it to Castle Town."

"If it's not too much trouble." Link agreed. He was used to roughing it, but an actual bed was nice every once in a while.

"Great! I'll tell dad that you're here and we'll set up our guest room." She gave Epona one last pat before leaving her to roam around with her family as she led the way to the main house, Link following behind.

They passed Ingo, who sneered at Link as he lugged his pitchfork around. Link gave the man a cold glare. He had neither forgotten or forgiven the man's would be actions. If it weren't for the fact that he was sure the ranchhand had never laid a finger on Malon he would have wiped the look off his face none too gently. As it was, Ingo's sneer faltered at the look before he turned away and stalked off angrily.

Malon opened the door to the home and called out. "Dad, we have a visitor!" She moved aside to allow Link access as her father came down the stairs from the upper floor.

"Who is it, dear?" He caught sight of Link, and it took a few seconds before recognition bloomed in his eyes. "By the Goddesses, is that young Link? Ha! You've grown, boy."

Link smiled at the rounder man. "It's good to see you again, Talon."

Talon grinned and took the younger man's hand, shaking vigorously. "Same, boy. Where ya been? And how's Epona doing? You wouldn't believe how often Malon's fretted over what you and that horse might be doing."

Malon's cheeks darkened slightly. "I left Epona in the pen with the others. She looks like she's healthy and in shape."

Talon clapped his hands. "Excellent. So, I take it you'll be staying the night?"

Link nodded. "If you'll have me."

Talon grinned as he headed into the nearby kitchen, from which a delicious aroma emanated. "Of course, of course. You have good timing, my boy. If you'd come tomorrow, we wouldn't have been here. We're heading to Castle Town for the grand tournament."

Link blinked. "Grand tournament?"

Malon nodded. "Haven't heard of it? They're having a huge celebration in honor of Princess Zelda's approaching birthday. It isn't just the tournament. They're having a huge weeklong festival, and the tournament is the centerpiece. It's going to last days. Warriors from all over Hyrule will be attending, even gorons, zoras and gerudo. I hear that the leaders of the various groups will be showing up tomorrow as well."

"Yep." Talon added in from the kitchen as the sound of something being stirred in a pot sounded. "It'll be the first time such important people have been to the castle in decades. I don't think the current royals have even met any of them."

Link listened intently. "Is the tournament open entry?" He asked with interest.

"Oh yeah." Malon said as she grabbed some bread from a nearby breadbox and set it on the table along with a large bottle of chilled milk. "As long as you make it in time to sign up by noon tomorrow, you can get in. They recommend only well trained fighters do so, because of the level of competition and the risk of injury, but it's open to anybody over the age of fifteen." She smiled at him as Talon brought out a large pot of stew. "Interested in joining in, fairy boy?" Link merely nodded with a small smile on his lips and a glint in his eyes. "Alright then, looks like we'll need to leave earlier than we planned, dad."

Talon chuckled. "Ah, that's no problem. It just gives us more time to enjoy ourselves. He can go sign up while we make the delivery of milk." He sat down and spooned some stew into wooden bowls. "Alright, eat up lad. You'll need the strength if you're gonna take part in such a prestigious event."

Malon smiled at Link as he sat down and took a sip of the stew, smiling in appreciation at the home cooking. It wasn't often he had anything other than trail rations.

"So!" Malon leaned forward, looking at Link intently. "Where'd you end up travelling, fairy boy?"

Link chuckled softly at her curiosity before he began talking about some of the less harrowing things he'd seen. The night passed with stories, questions, and good food.

* * *

The next morning Link woke to knocking on his door. He blinked and sat up, the blanket falling off his shirtless form as he glanced out the window to find that the sun wasn't even up yet, only the barest hints of color lighting the sky.

The knock came again before the door opened. "Come on, fairy boy, time to get up. We need to leave soon if you want to… sign… up…" Malon paused in the doorway as she caught sight of him in the light of the lantern she held, the flickering light hiding her suddenly reddened cheeks as she couldn't halp but gaze at his bare, muscular torso.

As she did she noticed that even in the weak light she could spot many scars. Some looked like they came from the claws and teeth of animals, while others looked more like they had been caused by blades or arrows. The was even what looked like a burn scar over the ribs on his right.

Still, to Malon, they made her friend that much more attractive. His strong, chiseled muscles were enhanced by the marks of combat. Her mouth was close to watering as she took it all in.

Link smiled at her. "Thanks Malon. I'll be ready in a few minutes." He reached over for his boots, beginning to put them on, and the girl shook her head as she broke out her trance.

"Ah, right. We'll be downstairs making sure our shipment is prepared. Come down when you're ready." She hurriedly turned and closed the door behind her. She briefly paused to fan her face, which felt quite hot despite the early morning chill, then began to make her way down to help her father.

Ten minutes later Link stepped out into the early dawn air to find a large wagon full of crates of Lon Lon Milk being prepared by Talon, Malon and Ingo. He was pleased to see that Epona was saddled and ready, and after giving her a good morning pat he made his way to the others to see if her could help.

"Much appreciated, my boy." Talon said when he asked. "We've got one crate left to get on the wagon. It's heavy, so your help getting it on is appreciated. Just be careful. The milk bottles aren't delicate, but that's no call to be reckless."

Link nodded in agreement and moved over to the crate. Talon was about to move over to help but was caught by surprise when Link picked the crate up on his own and carried it over to the wagon, setting it in its space without too much trouble. He scratched his bald head. "Well now, you're stronger than I thought, and I already thought you were strong." He chuckled as Ingo glared at Link. Malon was eyeing the young man appreciatively, something her father had a small laugh about.

Before long everything was secured and they were ready to leave. Ingo watched them go with a sour look on his face before heading back to bed with a grumble.

Link rode Epona beside the cart, which was being pulled by two of their best horses, and listened placidly as Malon chattered excitedly at what she hoped to see at the festival, occasionally responding.

The day had advanced till the sun was high and gazing down at them, though thankfully it was approximately almost two hours before noon, before they spotted Castle Town. Link paused to take it in.

It looked even more prosperous than it had when he was a child, banners flying, waving in the wind. The bridge was down, but unusually there was an area outside the city walls with buildings and structures. Most he could see were tents and stalls, but at the farthest end from the drawbridge was a large wooden stadium, its body covered in banners and flags. It looked like it would seat a large amount of people. He assumed that was where the tournament would be taking place.

"Been a while since you've been here, hasn't it?" Malon asked as she saw Link stare.

Link smiled and nodded. "It's different."

Talon shrugged before responding philosophically. "Things change."

The group made their way closer before Talon pointed at the festival area. "You can go sign in somewhere in there, Link. We need to go make our delivery and set up our horses in the stable, so we'll meet you there. Want us to take Epona to the stables as well?"

Link nodded and slid off his horse, Malon quickly reaching over to take hold of her reins. "Good luck, fairy boy. Don't have too much fun without me!" He smiled and waved as he began making his way to the festival grounds.

It took him ten minutes and asking a couple of questions, but he finally found the registration booth, which was set up outside the stadium. There was a line of those waiting to sign up, and Link saw a zora and a gerudo both standing and waiting for their turn. He quickly got into place behind the gerudo with two large scimitars strapped to her back, looking at the signs.

Apparently there was an entry fee to be able to compete. It wasn't large, however, only ten rupees, so Link didn't worry about it, simply patting his wallet to make sure it was secure.

The line moved quickly, and before long it was his turn. He stepped forward as the gerudo left, glancing at him with a cocky smirk, and looked at the official in charge of the sign ups.

"Name?" The woman asked in a bored tone. She'd obviously spent too much time asking the same things over and over.

"Link of the Kokiri." He stated simply, making the woman glance up at him, an eyebrow raised sceptically.

"You look awefully large to be a forest child." She said drily.

Link shrugged. "I'm adopted."

The woman stared before shaking her head and muttering to herself about getting all sorts of nutjobs. "Fine. Age?"

"Seventeen."

"Weapon of choice?"

"Multiple, but primarily a sword and shield."

The woman eyed his form, searching for any other weapons but not seeing any. She sighed tiredly. "Fine, whatever. Got the entry fee?" Link nodded and handed her a couple of blue rupees, which she quickly placed into a chest at her side which was being guarded by a soldier. "Alright, you're number 103. We'll be putting up a list of the fight order two hours after registration closes. Make sure to check it, because if you're not there in time for your fight, you're disquilified. Got it?" When he showed he understood she waved him away, so Link left and began to explore the festival.

Everywhere he went he found food and games set up everywhere, along with vendors hawking their wares. He stopped in interest, as there were examples of goron and gerudo blacksmithing along with zora weaving, and foods from all three. He smiled widely as he began shopping.

* * *

Zelda sighed from within her chambers in Hyrule Castle as she looked down at the colorful festival grounds. She smiled slightly at the sight. She had been pushing her father for something of the like, an event to bring the various peoples who called Hyrule home together. It would not only strengthen the bonds between them all, but it would also give her a good excuse to see her fellow Sages.

It only irritated her that he had caved in by making it a celebration of her seventeenth birthday rather than something more important.

If it were up to her, it would have been a celebration of Ganondorf's fall. Of course, that wasn't exactly feasable, as nobody but the Sages and a certain hero knew anything about the entire affair.

Link... The thought of the Hero of Time made her smile. She wondered where he was. He had left shortly after their return to the current timeline to search for his fairy, and hadn't been seen since. Which was ironic, seeing as...

"Hey Zelda, today's the day that the others arrive, isn't it?" Navi asked as she floated over from the pillow that was her bed in Zelda's bedroom.

Zelda turned to the glowing blue fairy, just barely able to make out the small woman's form through the light she gave off. "Yes Navi. Darunia, Ruto and Nabooru will be arriving today for the beginning of the tournament."

Her tiny friend gave a shake of delight. "Great! Too bad Saria can't come. And I have no clue why Rauru doen't join us. Still, I'm looking forward to this. It would only be better if..." The fairy drooped at the memory of her partner.

"We'll see him again someday, Navi." Zelda said gently. "That boy is far too stubborn to die. He'll return. And when he does, you can yell at him all you want for worrying you." She said lightly.

Navi brightened (literally) and nodded. "Right. In the meantime, I can see the others all together rather than one at a time as your messanger."

After Navi had suddenly showed up looking for Link a few months after he'd left to search for her, Navi had spent her time as the Sages' messenger. It kept her busy, and was a reliable way for them to keep in touch without worrying about the messages being intercepted. In return, Navi got any information on Link, and pretty much whatever else she wanted from the Sages. She didn't ask for much, so it was no hardship.

There was a knock on the door, and a maid opened it to peer in when Zelda gave permission. "Your highness, the King requests your presence. The delegations from the other peoples have arrived and are making their way to the castle."

"Thank you, Pomona. I'll be right there." After the maid left Zelda turned to a seemingly empty patch of wall. "Impa, are you ready?"

Zelda's old nanny and bodyguard, and the Sage of Shadow, appeared as if from nothing. "Yes, princess. It will be good to be all together for once. Are you prepared?"

Zelda checked her dress, feeling the daggers and throwing knives hidden about her person. Ganondorf may have been defeated, but she'd kept up her training. "Yes Impa. Come on. Let's not keep the others waiting."

Impa and Navi both nodded, and followed the princess out of the room to see their old friends.

* * *

 _ **Welcome to, yes, yet another new story!**_

 _ **Yes, I know, Musie is a bitch for making me do another. To be fair, though, this one was actually on the poll. It got the least votes, but it's the one I felt the most like writing at the moment.**_

 _ **This fic was inspired, as stated during my poll, by the excellent, if weird, I Just Want A Vacation by funkmasterjo. I highly recommend it, though the ending gets kinda twisted and meta.**_

 _ **So, first thing's first, timeline differences, since I know people get rabid about them. In this story, Link wasn't the only one sent back to the past. All the Sages were as well, and as stated, they've kept in touch.**_

 _ **Navi didn't leave after they returned, either. She just didn't appear till later. I'll probably go further into it another time.**_

 _ **Pairings! ...I dunno. Link and a girl, I guess? That's pretty much the extent of my plans in that direction.**_

 _ **Oh, yeah, Link's look is inspired by his Hyrule Warriors outfit. (A game I've never played *glare at still broken 3DS*) This isn't just cosmetic. There's a reason for the look. You'll find out during the tournament.**_

 _ **As for the tournament itself, that's just the beginning of the story. Things are going to escalate. There will much awesome.**_

 _ **I... think that's all? Oh, wait, theme song. I'm not going to say what it is, though it's been picked out. It's just a bit of a spoiler. I will say it's a song by Bullet For My Valentine, see if you can guess. I know, not what you'd think of for a Zelda fic, but it fits.**_

 ** _Well then, till next time, which will be a chapter of Brightest that will make a lot of you pissed off at me, hope you enjoyed, and please review!_**


	2. The Tournament Begins

Zelda walked into the throne room, looking every inch the beautiful, wise and strong ruler-to-be she was. Her father smiled upon seeing her, and she smiled back, glad as she always was to see him alive and in good health.

She still remembered the day of Ganondorf's attack vividly, the last, horrible sight of her father as Impa took her and fled on his orders. She'd missed him deeply during the seven years she'd waited for Link's awakening, grieving him for a long time.

The day she'd opened her eyes back in the past of the current timeline she'd surprised the man with a long, tight hug as she wept into his chest. He'd been shocked, as she'd always been an independent girl, but he'd still held her gently, soothing her as she felt the warmth she'd almost forgotten. Afterwards she'd made an excuse of a nightmare that had seemed frighteningly real.

After that she'd worked to advise him to the best of her abilities, pushing passed the stigma of her age that had always kept her silent before, and he slowly began to actually listen to her, as her ideas almost always had merit, unless there was information she wasn't aware of. Because of her ideas and advice, the kingdom had prospered, the citizenry happier and wealthier. She was especially proud of the programs she sponsored to aid those in need.

As she walked to her own, smaller throne beside the King's, she looked around at the members of the royal court, who bowed their heads in respect when they noticed she was looking at them. Not all of them liked her. In fact, most didn't, as her ideas weren't as popular with the aristocracy as they were with the general populace, but all respected her shrewd mind and tenacity. That would help, she knew, when the time inevitably came to take her father's place. Sadly, for royalty being liked wasn't as important as being respected.

"Zelda dear, you're just in time." King Nohansen Daltus Hyrule said with a smile, his white beard, still streaked with some blonde hair, partly hiding his features, blue eyes like his daughter's crinkling happily.

Zelda smiled back as Navi flew up to rest on the back of her throne and Impa managed to take up an unobstrusive position to watch over her charges. "I'm glad, father. I've been looking forward to meeting with our guests for some time. I've read all I can find about them and their peoples."

Nohansen chuckled at his daughter's thirst for knowledge, pleased. He knew that she would eventually be a great ruler. Much better than he was, having ascended to the throne almost completely unprepared after the death of his older brother in Hyrule's last war seventeen years ago. Once again, he wondered at the way her abilities and attitude had changed since that day seven years ago.

Nohansen might not be the greatest ruler in Hyrule's history, something he was well aware of and had accepted, but he was no fool. Something had happened on the day Zelda had come to him, crying her eyes out. She had been more mature and willing to make her voice heard, whereas before she had kept silent, simply watching even when she disagreed with something. Long had he wanted to know exactly what had happened to his precious daughter to cause that stark change in her.

He shook the thoughts away as he always did when the royal herald walked forward to speak, indicating the visiting leaders had arrived. "Your Highness, introducing Chieftain Darunia of the Gorons, Princess Ruto of the Zora, and Nabooru of the Gerudo!"

The doors opened, and in walked the other three leaders of the various peoples of Hyrule. Nohansen stood and spread his arms in welcome, a wide smile on his face. "Welcome, welcome, my friends. It is good to meet you for the first time. In some cases, it has been generations since our peoples have met like this."

Darunia rumbled with a laugh like a rockslide as he offered a surprisingly courtly bow. "It is good to meet you, your Highness. You're right, this should have happened long ago."

Ruto nodded in agreement, giving the King a small bow of respect of one royal to another as she smiled. "Indeed. I've wanted to leave our domain and see the sights of Hyrule's Castle Town for some time now. I am glad for the opportunity, especially for such an interesting event."

Nabooru gave her own bow, barely keeping it from being mocking, her innate anti-authorianism (which made her being in a position of actual authority nigh unbearable sometimes) being kept in careful check for now. "Yeah, it's nice to get out of the desert and meet all of you, especially for a tournament. It promises to be fun."

The King chuckled even as the courtiers didn't look as amused by her attitude. "Yes, I admit I'm looking forward to it as well." He turned slightly as Zelda made her way to his side. "Ah yes, of course. Allow me to introduce my daughter, Zelda."

The three greeted her respectfully, carefully hiding smiles at being introduced to their fellow Sage.

"It is good to meet you all." Zelda said with a smile. "I'm sure we'll have much to talk about during your stay here."

"Sounds good, princess." Nabooru said. Then she clapped her hands. "So, when does the actual tournament start?"

"In a few hours." The King said. "I believe that's enough time for us to have a meal together, to get to know each other."

"Fine thinking!" Darunia laughed. "It's been a long journey."

"Follow me if you would, then." Zelda said as she turned, leading the way to the banquet area with her father, Navi moving over to follow her. Nohansen and the courtiers had become so used to the sight of the fairy following Zelda around that they didn't even really notice anymore.

Soon enough they were all eating a hearty meal. Zelda had made sure that the castle cooks were aware of each guest's diet. Darunia was given some special stones from the areas around Gerudo Valley and Lake Hylia, which he ate with gusto. Ruto got grilled fish wrapped in steamed seaweed, which she enjoyed immensely. And Nabooru partook of a large, juicy steak that had her licking her lips.

The group talked and made merry as they ate, and Zelda smiled contentedly as she ate a salad with grilled cucco, pleased to be among friends. While Darunia was distracting the King with a tale of one of his son's misadventures, Ruto reached over and took the Hylian princess' hand, giving it a squeeze. "It's good to see you again, Zelda." She said softly so they wouldn't be heard.

Zelda squeezed back. "Yes, it is. I've missed you despite our messages. Impa and Navi are wonderful company, but it does get a bit lonely sometimes."

Ruto nodded in understanding. "I agree. Knowing what we know… It can be alienating…" They were interrupted when the King and Navi burst out into laughter.

"…and then he said 'Dad, I thought cheese was soft.'" Darunia finished saying, roaring with laughter along with his audience.

Ruto and Zelda blinked. "Uh…" Ruto began.

"Don't ask." Nabooru said with a smirk as she sipped some wine. The she jumped in with her own story. "You boys haven't heard nothing! Let me tell you about the deadly Sand Cuccos!"

Ruto and Zelda glanced at each other before shrugging in confusion.

* * *

Link was counting his rupees after buying himself some food. It had been some time since he'd been to a festival, and food stall offerings were always tasty, if not terribly healthy. Biting into his meat bun he chewed happily as he made his way through the crowds.

He watched children play games in various stalls, trying to win prizes, with their parents watching over them. Merchants hawking their wares added to the general noise level of the place, and various people from all walks of life were making their way to the stadium in the hopes of getting good seats before it started getting crowded.

He stopped when Malon ran up to him, calling his name. He smiled as he watched her approach, taking one last bite of his bun before wiping the crumbs off his face.

Malon stopped in front of him, grinning. "You registered, Fairy Boy?" Link nodded and she clapped her hands. "Great! I look forward to watching you beat everyone in the tournament, got it? You better win the entire thing!" He nodded again, chuckling, and she grabbed his arm to drag him along. "Good. Now show me around. I want to see what this place has to offer." Link rolled his eyes but obediently followed along.

They played some games, Link winning Malon a couple of prizes, which she was very happy with. Then they grabbed some food and continued wandering. Before long, however…

"Would all tournament participants make their way to the stadium!" A crier called over the noise of the crowd. "The opening of the tournament is about to begin!"

Seeing various armed people making their way to the stadium Link did the same with Malon at his side. Once they reached the competitor's entrance Malon broke away with a smile. "I'll be watching, Fairy Boy. Do your best." She gave him a quick hug before making her way to the audience entrance.

After watching her walk away he quickly made his way into the stadium, making his way through a hallway with waiting rooms and medical stations before emerging onto the field with the other competitors. He looked around, seeing many warriors of all types, armed and ready to fight, standing around him, looking up at the royal seats. He did the same, and smiled.

There, beside the man that could only be the King, sat Zelda. It had been a long time since he'd seen her, but she was just as beautiful as he remembered her being. He also saw Darunia, Ruto and Nabooru, all of them looking strong and healthy in seats of honor next to the royals. They were all looking down at the field, studying the competitors. Apparently they didn't spot him among the crowd, but he didn't mind. They'd be seeing him soon enough once it was time for him to fight.

The King stood to address the crowd and contestants. "Welcome, one and all, to the beginning of what will no doubt be an exciting demonstration of skill and power!" The crowd cheered. "Warriors, soldiers, adventurers, mages, show us your talents, be tenacious, and above all, fight well!" Another cheer, many of the contestants raising their fists. Link simply crossed his arms and smiled. "Now, I will give way to my daughter to explain the rules of the tournament, to make sure everybody understands." The King sat down as Zelda stood, a smile on her lips, and Link could tell that a vast majority of the crowd was instantly enamoured with her.

"Thank you, father." She said with a nod. She then turned to the crowd of contestants that filled the space before her. "This will be an elimination tournament, the winners of each match moving up the brackets till eventually only two are left." She paused before continuing. "For those wondering, yes, magic is allowed, but there will be restrictions to keep things fair. Mages, you are allowed to use lower and mid tier spells with impunity, and while most higher spells are not allowed, there is a list of known spells which are allowed that you would be advised to review. This includes primarily the not instantly lethal and healing spells, for the most part. To those of you with magical items, there are also restrictions." She eyed the crowd to make sure they understood. "If you have multiple magical items, in the spirit of fairness only one may be used per match. So if, for example, you have boots that grant you speed and a ring that provides some form of durability, you may use one in your first match, and the other in the next, but not both at once." Pausing once again to make sure that sank in she finished the explanation of the rules. "This, of course, only goes for enchanted items. You may use as many non-magical items as you wish. The last rule is simple: no intentional murder. We will do our utmost to keep this tournament, if not bloodless, then at the least non-lethal. If you so much as try to knowingly kill your opponent, you will be disqualified and arrested. Are these rules understood?" She watched, waiting for someone to speak up, before nodding with satisfaction when nobody said anything. "Excellent. In that case, fight well, and may the Goddesses' blessing be with you." Once again, the crowd began to cheer as she resumed her seat beside her father.

The official announcer for the tournament now took his place at his podium. "The first bout begins in fifteen minutes. Please make your way to the waiting rooms, review the spell list, check the fight order, and do anything else you require to prepare. We will see you soon." With eager cries, the crowd of competitors made their way back to the halls under the stadium seats to do just that.

Link followed the crowd, and eager smile on his lips as he felt anticipation flow through his veins. It had been some time since he'd had a good fight, especially one that didn't have his life on the line, and he was eager to test his skills once again. Making his way to one of the waiting rooms he went up to the large board with the fight order on it, looking for his number. Once he found it he saw that he would, surprisingly, be the tenth fight. He'd though his fight number would mean he'd be waiting longer, but apparently the organization of the brackets was almost random.

Still, this was good. It meant he didn't have to wait long for his own battle. He moved to an isolated corner of the room and began an equipment check, which could take some time, considering the sheer amount of items he had hidden thanks to his Kokiri Magic. As he worked he looked over his fellow competitors, trying to determine their threat levels by what he could see of them.

There were a couple of obvious mages just from what he could see. He didn't know their specialties, but he'd fought enough to recognize them. There were also the usual mountains of muscle, declaring loudly how they would be the champions. One fool was even saying that once he won he would take Princess Zelda as his bride.

Despite his normal easy going nature, hearing that made Link almost let out a Ganondorf worthy sneer. Zelda would chew up and spit out someone like that with contemptuous ease.

He listened as the cheering of the crowds as the fights began, the noise thunderous from his position underneath the stands. He could almost follow how the fights were going simply from the various sounds they made as certain things happened, and it was easy to tell when someone won.

Finally, it was time for his fight, and one of the organizers came into the waiting room. "Would Link of the Kokiri make their way to the field? Their fight is about to start."

Link got up from his seat, stretching in preparation before beginning to make his way back out, hearing the expectant cheers of the crowd waiting for the next fight. An attendant stopped him before he stepped out of the shade and onto the field as the announcer called out the names of the next contestant.

"Next, gentles, comes the battle between Gorman of the Lakeside Plains, against Link of the Kokiri!"

Link stepped out into the sunlight amidst cheers and some confused murmuring, his eyes taking in the new battlefield now that there wasn't a crowd of contestants obscuring things.

It had obviously been set up with the various races in mind. There was a pond to his right along the wall, obviously for any Zora fighters, and another section that was arid and rocky almost directly opposite it, large boulders dotting that area. Trees were planted throughout the area, most likely for use as cover, and everything else was covered in fresh green grass.

His inspection done, his gaze turned to his opponent, a large man in leather armor bearing a large, two-headed axe in his meaty fists. A small smirk on his face, Link reached up and drew his blade, the steel slipping out with a quiet rasp, and got ready to fight, his shield up and at the ready. His eyes glittered as the man, Gorman, glared at him with small, dark eyes.

Then, the battle began.

* * *

Zelda almost felt her heart stop as her eyes widened when she heard the last man's name. It couldn't be…

But no, there he was, striding out onto the field, green outfit practically announcing who he was to anybody who knew him, his stride confident and assured, a small smirk on his handsome face. As he drew his blade, clutching it in his left hand, his friends could no longer contain themselves.

Darunia let out a loud cheer, startling the King, and pumped a large fist with a look of childlike excitement on his face. Nabooru laughed uproariously, her gleeful cackling ringing out as she stared down at the contestants. Ruto brought her hands to her lips, eyes wide and moist with happiness. Zelda herself wanted to vault down onto the field and gather the man in a hug, a wide smile on her face as her eyes took every inch of him in. And she could practically feel Impa's amused surprise at the revelation. As for Navi…

"…Link?" The fairy practically sobbed out at the sight of her partner, her form trembling slightly with barely contained emotion. Zelda quickly gathered the small woman in her hands, holding her close. "Zelda, let me go!" She began to struggle as the shock wore off. "He's here! He's here! I need to go to him! Please!"

"I know, Navi, but if you go to him now he'll end up disqualified due to potential interference, not to mention he'll be distracted. I know you need to be with him, but please wait at least till the bout is over." Zelda said gently, Navi slowly calming down as she stared at Link, who was standing resolutely as the match began and his hulking opponent charged at him with a roar.

"…Alright. You can let me go…" The blue fairy said softly.

The crowd roared in delight as Link expertly stepped back, letting the large axe pass inches from his chest, bringing his shield around to hit it as it swung by, adding to its momentum and making his opponent overbalance slightly. This allowed him to spring forward, bringing his sword around to smack Gorman in the face with the flat of the blade. Gorman stumbled backwards stunned, but had the presence of mind to fall back, bringing his axe up in a guarding position.

"So… I take it you all know this man?" Nohansen asked wryly.

Nabooru grinned, eyes riveted on the fight. "I personally owe him my life, and he is an official honorary gerudo. I can't believe he's back…"

Ruto giggled slightly. "He saved me as well. I… gave him something precious in return…"

Navi giggled wetly. "You realize he didn't know the significance of what you did till I sat him down and gave him a long explanation, right? He's Kokiri. Those sorts of concepts went right over his head."

Ruto's eyes glinted. "He knows now, doesn't he?"

"He is my sworn brother." Darunia rumbled, arms crossed as he watched Link backflip out of the way of a horizontal swing, much to the crowd's approval. "The entire Goron nation owes that man a debt. He's one of us."

The King's eyebrows were high on his forehead before he turned to Zelda. "And you, daughter?"

She was silent for a moment, watching the two warriors clash, though it was obvious to anybody with combat experience who the winner was going to be. "One day, seven years ago, a young boy of the Kokiri and his fairy companion snuck into my personal garden in the castle. He made it passed all the guards to meet with me." She smiled softly as her father's eyebrows somehow managed to rise even further. "…He is a dear friend, father. I am glad to see him alive and well."

"So he is truly of the Kokiri? I was under the impression they were, well, children."

Navi moved out of Zelda's grasp, making her way closer to the King. "Link is Kokiri. He's not a normal one, no. Nobody could ever describe my partner as normal. But he's as much Kokiri as any of the others." She said proudly.

They watched as Link apparently had enough. Expertly deflecting an overhead slash with his shield, making the axe bury itself in the ground, he began a whirling barrage of strikes, the flat of his blade joining his bashing shield to pummel his opponent, who let go of his axe in pain and confusion, stumbling backwards and desperately trying to protect himself. Finally, Gorman could take no more, falling onto his back, dazed and confused. Link placed the edge of his sword against the man's neck. "Yield." He said simply.

Gorman simply stared at Link before his large, bald head thumped onto the grass. "…I yield."

The crowd promptly went wild, cheering Link's impressive victory even as the young warrior nonchalantly sheathed his blade and made his way back under the stands, passing by the healers coming out to carry Gorman to a medical room.

Zelda turned to Navi as she clapped for her old friend's victory, practically having to shout to be heard over Darunia and Nabooru's yelling. "I think now is good."

Navi shook with excitement before streaking away to the waiting rooms, her friend smiling softly as she watched her leave.

* * *

Link was stretching as he walked back to the waiting room he'd been in. That fight hadn't been difficult. Compared to what he was used to facing, Gorman was halfway competent, but otherwise didn't rate. But he shouldn't be too surprised. It was only the first round. Things would get tougher going forward.

He stopped as he sensed something watching him. The presence felt… familiar? Then…

"…Link?"

Link felt as though his heart had skipped a beat. Slowly, unable to believe it, he turned around to see who had spoken to find a blue light with wings. A very _familiar_ blue light with wings.

"…Navi?" He croaked out, tears gathering in his eyes.

With a sob, the fairy launched herself at him, slamming into his chest and clutching his shirt as she began to cry. "You… stupid… idiot." She choked out. "Where in… the name of the Goddesses… have you been?"

A tear streaking down his cheek, Link brought his hands up to hold his fairy. "…I was taking a walk…"

She let out a wet laugh. "For seven years?"

"It was… a very enthusiastic walk…" He smiled gently, and she laughed again. Link closed his eyes, feeling a sense of completion that hadn't been there in a long, long time.

He had his fairy back.

* * *

 ** _And… done!_**

 ** _This chapter was Sage heavy. Let's be honest, we all know Link isn't going to have any issues at the beginning of the tournament. So instead I focused on his friends' reactions to seeing him back._**

 ** _There isn't really much to say about this chapter. I hope you all like my interpretation of the King, and that you all think the tournament rules made sense. I wanted to avoid curbstomps, so limiting the characters in some way seemed like a good idea._**

 ** _Anyway, if you enjoyed yourselves, let me know in a review. I'm always happy to receive them. So many fuzzy feelings…_**

 ** _Till next time!_**


	3. Dinner And A Show

Link sat with Navi in a corner of one of the waiting rooms as they listened to the cheers and cries of the crowds watching the fights. Not much had been said after they met in the hallway, the two focused on enjoying their time with their missing partner.

Finally, as the fairy sat on his shoulder, leaning against the side of his head contentedly, Link spoke. "What happened?"

Navi immediately knew what he was asking. She was an expert in understanding Link despite his usual concise manner, and that hadn't changed despite their time apart. "I don't know. When Zelda sent us back in time something happened. I'm not sure what, though I do remember feeling as though something was observing me. When I came to I was in the Temple of Time and you were nowhere to be seen. I panicked and went to Zelda, and she told me that you'd left to search for me two months before."

Link's brow furrowed. What Navi was saying was odd, especially as it conflicted a bit with his own experience upon returning. He remembered waking back in the past to find Navi missing. An intense feeling told him that she was out in the world, and he'd have to travel in order to get her back. He hadn't found her after seven years of travelling various lands and kingdoms, however, and he had almost given up when he returned.

He didn't know what it was, but something told him their differing experiences were still connected, somehow.

"Anyway, since I had no idea where you could be I went to each of the sages to see if they knew, but unfortunately I didn't. I sorta fell into my new job by doing that, though, since they asked me to pass messages along as I checked in on them. Since I couldn't find you I stuck around and worked as the sages' messenger while I waited for you to show back up." Navi sighed and closed her eyes as she enjoyed her partner's warmth, something she'd been missing for a long time now. "That's basically it for me. How about you? What have you been doing?"

"Travelling to look for you." Link said as he leaned back against the wall, listening as the crowd above let out a particularly loud cheer. "Went to different lands. Helped people. The usual."

Navi chuckled. "You never change." She said happily, referring to both his brief manner of speaking and his penchant for heroics. Not that she minded. It was good to see he was, in some ways, still the innocent kokiri who she'd woken up all those years ago. "Will you actually tell me, though? I'd like to hear about the adventures I missed. I need to make up for all the heart attacks I would have had."

Link chuckled before sighing. "Fine. I should check who I'm fighting next first, though." He proceeded to get up, Navi still on his shoulder, and headed over to the board containing the brackets.

"I don't think you're going to fight again today." Navi said. "I was there when a couple of tournament organizers reported to Zelda, since she is the one running the festival, even though it's supposed to be in her honor. She wouldn't budge on that with the King. Anyway, they said they had a lot more people sign up than expected. Almost triple, actually. They had hoped the number of entrants would be low enough to get through the first two rounds in the first day, but there's no chance of that happening now. You need to stick around till the end of the day's fights, but your next fight'll be tomorrow."

"I see…" Link said simply as he looked for his name amongst the brackets. He found it quickly, along with the name of his opponent. "Isali of Ordon Field…"

"Ordon is a small area of mostly farmland to the southeast, south of Kokiri Forest." Navi proceeded to explain, happy to fall back into her role as Link's source of information. "I don't really know much about it except that it's pretty peaceful. There are a couple of serving knights who come from the area, and I've heard there's a small family of mages that make their home there, making a living helping the farmers and hunters out, but that's pretty much it for my knowledge of the place."

"So either a mage or a hunter with combat experience." Link said simply.

"That would be my guess, yeah." The fairy said with a nod.

Satisfied with what he knew he walked back to where he had been sitting and leaned back, relaxing as he waited for the fights to pass so he could go out and grab some food and some sleep. Hopefully the following days of the tournament would be more interesting after the lackluster fight he had with Gorman.

Navi poked his cheek. "So, you were saying something about where you went after you left Hyrule…?"

Link huffed, amused by her curiosity. "I first ended up in a land called Termina…"

Navi listened intently as Link told her of the places he'd visited, a smile on her face as she enjoyed his stories.

* * *

The sun was slowly setting on the tournament grounds when the winners of the first round began marching back into the arena to commemorate the end of the first day of the competition.

Zelda smiled from her seat as Navi zipped over to her, keeping out of the crowd's eye as best she could. "Did you and Link have a good talk?" She asked pleasantly.

"Yeah." The fairy said happily. "He's still the same old Link. Slayer of monsters and rescuer of damsels."

"Well, that's a relief." Ruto said from where she sat beside Zelda. "I would have hated to think that he'd become some sort of angry, belligerent ruffian." Her tone said that she'd never really worried about such a thing when it came to Link.

The talk was interrupted when the King stood to address the assembled contestants. "I extend congratulations to you all for making it passed the first round of combat!" Nohansen paused as the crowd cheered before he resumed speaking. "You have truly shown us great examples of physical and magical might, as well as cunning and endurance. Even if you should lose in the next round of the tournament, be proud of what you have accomplished here today, and leave with your head held high!" More cheering ensued as the King sat down, the contestants standing straight with pride as Zelda proceeded to stand.

"The next round of the tournament will begin tomorrow at ten in the morning." She said clearly and concisely once the crowd had quieted down. "Now that the number of contestants has been cut down to half, we will have at least two rounds of combat per day. So rest well and recover, for tomorrow will be tougher than anything you faced today!" Yet again, the crowd cheered even as the contestants stood determined, some with cocky grins on their faces. "With that, I declare the first day of the tournament at an end!"

Zelda turned as the King and her fellow sages got up to leave the stadium as the contestants did the same. She looked over at her fairy friend. "Navi, would you be so kind as to wait for a bit before you head back to Link?"

Navi tilted her head in slight confusion. "Sure, I guess. But why?"

Zelda smiled.

* * *

Link stretched as he walked out of the stadium, groaning as his back popped. He smiled as he felt the cool air caress his face before looking around to see the many stands lighting up with lanterns as the sky got darker in order to cater to the crowd that was leaving the stadium, the many salesmen eager to make more rupees.

His examination was interrupted as he felt slim yet strong arms wrap around one of his own, pulling it against a soft pair of breasts. He turned to see Malon smiling up at him mischievously, eyes glinting. "That was some show you put on, Fairy Boy. You took that brute down like it was nothing!"

Link smiled. "Thanks." He glanced around again. "Wanna play some more games?"

Malon nodded eagerly and began dragging him along by the arm, her companion chuckling at her eagerness. Link proceeded to win the girl a few more prizes at various games of skill between looking at the offerings on various stalls.

It was as Link was turning away from a stall manned by a goron who had various small blades for sale that he spotted something that made him stop in shock, feeling his stomach fall to his feet. Malon, who had just finished looking at some blown glass, turned to find him staring at a stall nearby. "What's wrong?" She asked, only to be ignored, much to her surprise, as Link made his way to the stall that had his attention, the redhead quickly following to find out what was going on.

Masks. They covered every part of the stall the two now stood in front of. Malon saw masks of all kinds, from the scary to the funny to the cute, all presumably for sale. Standing behind the counter was an odd looking man. He had red hair a shade fairer than her own, with pale, slightly yellowish skin and eyes that appeared to be permanently squinted shut, along with a slightly unnerving smile. He wore a purple outfit with golden jewelry that covered his shoulders attached to the collar. He had his hands folded in front of him as he patiently waited for customers.

When Link stepped in front of him the salesman shifted, his smile widening. "Oh… It has been some time, hasn't it, my young friend?"

Link nodded. "What are you doing here?" Malon blinked, surprised at how tense he sounded.

"Nothing like what you are thinking, I assure you. Simply plying my trade, handing out masks and buying any people might be interested in selling." The salesman's squinted eyes opened slightly, revealing red irises. "I don't suppose you have any new ones you might want to sell or trade since we last met all those years ago?" When Link shook his head his eyes closed again. "Mmm, pity. I trust you have taken care of the very special masks you have in your possession?" His smile widened when Link nodded. "Excellent…" Then he turned to Malon. "Pardon my rudeness, young lady. Simply catching up with an old friend. Do you see any mask that catches your eye?"

Malon was slightly hesitant considering how tense Link seemed to be around this 'old friend', but obligingly turned to look at the man's wares. "Umm, let me see…"

"Take your time." The salesman said cheerfully, unnerving smile still on his face.

"Majora?" Link asked suddenly, confusing Malon, his gaze intense.

"Safe and sound." The salesman said simply. "There has been no hint of any more mischief coming from it. You and your… friend… did your jobs admirably."

Malong noticed Link seemed to tense slightly at the mention of this 'friend', but relaxed immediately afterwards. "Good."

The red headed young woman then caught sight of something interesting and pointed at a cap that had cream bunny ears sticking up out of it. "How about that one?"

The salesman turned and picked the cap up, setting it on the counter before Malon. "Ah, the Bunny Hood. Quite popular. I'm told that wearing it makes you feel as fleet of foot as any rabbit when you run."

Malon picked it up, studying it before putting it on her head, turning to link with a cute smile, hoping to distract him from whatever had him on edge, though he already seemed calmer. "What do you think?"

Link looked more amused than she thought her wearing the hood warranted. "Cute." He said simply, a smile on his face.

"Mmm…" Malon hummed in thought. "How much?"

"Three hundred rupees, miss." The salesman said instantly.

Malon's eyes widened. "So much!?"

"It's enchanted." Link said as he started pulling rupees of various colors from his money pouch.

"Indeed." The salesman said, still smiling. "He would know. He wore it for quite a while in his youth."

Malon's surprise grew, and she turned to gaze at Link thoughtfully. "Really? What does it do, then?"

"Makes you run faster." Link answered as he set two purple rupees and two silver on the counter, making Malon goggle at the amount of money he was just throwing around.

"Really?" Malon asked, suddenly much more interested. "How much faster?"

"The effect is generally a doubling of your max running speed." The salesman said as he picked up the rupees and placed them in his till. "Quite useful when you're in a rush. It also gives you a very minor improvement to your stamina, though the effect is small enough that it isn't really noticeable."

"Ooh." Malon said happily. "That's amazing." She gave Link a radiant smile. "Thank you, Fairy Boy."

Link smiled back, however his attention was diverted when a member of the town guard walked over to him. "Link of the Kokiri?" When Link nodded the guard handed him an envelope bearing the seal of the Royal Family. "The princess requests your presence in the castle. I'm to escort you."

Link blinked and quickly opened the letter, finding it to be written in Zelda's elegant script, which invited him to dinner in the palace. The curious Malon read over his shoulder, her eyes wide at what it said. She looked up at him. "Guess I'll see you at the inn, Fairy Boy. You can't exactly decline an invitation like that." Link nodded and hugged back when she wrapped her arms around him. "Don't get your head chopped off." She said teasingly.

Link chuckled and nodded as he released her. Giving the mask salesman a parting nod, which was returned, he promptly began following the guardsman.

* * *

"Thank you for allowing this, Father." Zelda said with a smile as she sat in a drawing room with her father and fellow sages, Navi sitting on her shoulder.

"You said that the young man is a friend to all of you." Nohansen said with a smile of his own. "I would be remiss if I did not acquiesce to such a simple birthday request. I trust you when you say he won't be any trouble."

"He won't." Navi assured the King. "Don't take it personally if he doesn't say much, though. Link is very quiet and tends to give short, concise responses when spoken to. He only really talks a lot when he's angry. Then he can do a bit of ranting at the object of his ire. I hear Mido got yelled at a lot."

"Mido?" Nabooru asked with a curious smile on her lips as she held a glass of alcohol she was drinking from.

"He's a Kokiri that has declared himself the 'Boss' of them all, even though if the Kokiri have a leader other than the Great Deku Tree it would be Saria, since everybody listens to her due to her wise and caring nature. She's everybody's big sister. Anyway, Mido bullied Link more than a bit because he didn't have a fairy partner till shortly before he left the forest. Link usually just dealt with it silently, but from what I hear he could snap at Mido when it got to be too much. Mido tended to leave Link alone for a few days after one of his rants."

"Hard to believe someone like Link would allow himself to be bullied." Ruto said as she sipped some water.

"He wasn't always a capable warrior." Navi said. "Once upon a time he was a quiet, timid kid. Besides, he's never been one to look for conflict unnecessarily."

"So…" The king said, stroking his beard. "If I were to try to get in contact with the Kokiri for some reason, my best option is to contact this Saria?"

"Yep." Navi said. "Of course, it would be kind of hard to send someone to talk to her without them getting lost and turning into a stalfos. Your best bet for contact would be me or Link, since we know our way."

Nohansen nodded. "Yes, I understand, thank you. Still, something to keep in mind, just in case."

At that point a guardsman walked into the sitting room. "Your Highness, Link of the Kokiri has arrived, as requested."

Nohansen smiled as he saw his daughter and guests perk up at the news. "Excellent. Send him in."

The sages stood up from their various seats as they waited anxiously for Link to arrive. Soon enough said man walked into the room. His eyes flitted around, taking in the occupants as he smiled, before they landed on the King. He proceeded to remove his cap and offer the man courtly bow. "You're Highness, thank you for your hospitality."

The King nodded, pleased by the young man's manners. "Your thanks should be saved for my daughter, who requested your presence. Still, you are welcome in my home, young man."

Link nodded back as he stood back up, placing his hat back on his head. He barely had time to give Zelda a smile before he was suddenly engulfed in an enthusiastic hug by a laughing Darunia. "It's good to see you, brother!"

Link's legs kicked the air as the happy goron picked him up off his feet, struggling to get free. "Darunia!" He gasped. "Ribs!"

Navi zipped over. "Darunia! Are you seriously going to try to hug my partner to death every time you see him!?" She yelled as she saw Link beginning to turn blue. "Let him down!"

The Fire Sage set his friend down with a laugh and a grin, the squishier of the two panting harshly as he held his ribs and recovered his breath.

Zelda hid her laughter with a hand, her eyes gleaming with amusement. Nabooru had no such compunctions and laughed freely as she watched her old friend try to recover.

Link was groaning as he finally stood back up straight when another pair of arms wrapped themselves around him, this time holding him gently rather than trying to break his spine. "It's good to have you back, Link." Ruto said softly before planting a kiss on his cheek.

Link blushed slightly but hugged back. "Good to see you too." He said before letting her go. Then he turned to Nabooru. "You haven't changed." He said with a smile.

"You mean I'm still as bewitchingly beautiful as the first time we met in the old temple? Aww, you're so sweet…" She said teasingly.

"Right…" Link deadpanned. Navi sighed in amused exasperation as the King chuckled.

Finally, Link turned back to Zelda with a small smile, giving a nod to the hidden Impa as he did so, prompting an impressed eyebrow raised from the Sheikah. "It's good to see you again, Princess."

Zelda smiled radiantly. "It's good to see you too, Link. I'm glad you appear to be in good health. It's been far too long since I last saw you."

"Well then, take a seat, lad. We have a few minutes before dinner." Nohansen said cheerfully, waving Link over to one of the unoccupied seats as the Sages sat back down. As the young hero took a seat he leaned forward with interest. "Now then, I've been told you have spent the last seven years travelling beyond the bounds of Hyrule. This interests me quite a bit, as due to Hyrule's geography it is rare for us to contact other lands. Tell me, what kinds of places have you seen?"

Everybody became interested in what his answer would be. None of them had, after all, travelled as extensively as Link had, even within the bounds of Hyrule. Zelda and impa were the most well travelled of the sages, and that was primarily during the time that would not be, when they had hidden from Ganondorf.

Link cocked his head as he thought about how to answer the question. "There is a place called Atolla, which holds only a small amount of land, used only for farming. The capital city actually floats on the water in the middle of a great bay, held afloat by a mixture of magic and lost technology. Fishing vessels cover the waters around it, and great towers capture sunlight and use it to power the machines. I spent many months there." He said with a smile at the memory.

His audience looked enthralled, none more so than Ruto. "Is it a zora city?" She asked, excited.

Link shook his head, much to the young woman's disappointment. "No. It belongs to humans."

Nohansen stroked his beard. "Indeed? Not many humans in Hyrule at this moment."

"There are many outside it." Link explained. "Hylians are mainly found in Hyrule, though I have seen a few in other places."

Navi floated down to look at her partner. "I haven't heard you speak this much without wanting to stab something in a long time…"

Link shrugged, smiling slightly. "Have to give the King good answers."

Said King gave a small laugh, nodding. "Indeed. Your thoroughness is appreciated."

A servant entered the drawing room at that moment. "Excuse me, your Highness, but dinner is ready and the nobles are beginning to gather."

Link blinked. "Nobles?" He asked, sounding apprehensive.

Zelda nodded. "Yes. For the duration of the festival we will be holding nightly dinner banquets for the nobles who have travelled here for it."

Nabooru snickered at Link's obvious apprehension, despite not being very happy that she'll have to deal with a bunch of puffed up idiots either. "Don't like dealing with nobles, Link?"

"Most nobles cause me trouble." He murmured lowly, though they all caught it.

"Present company excluded, of course?" Ruto asked teasingly. She was rewarded with a flat stare.

"Jabu Jabu…" he said simply, his tone just as flat as his gaze, making the zora princess laugh sheepishly.

Nabooru glanced from Link to Ruto and back, her smile remarkably sharklike, smelling blood in the water. "What's this then?"

"Nothing!" Ruto said hurriedly. "Come on, let's eat!" She quickly got up and walked out as Navi giggled and Link smirked.

"Excellent thinking! I'm starved." Darunia said with a laugh as he did the same. The others there glanced at each other, amused, before following along.

* * *

The group arrived in a large banquet room of the castle. About thirty nobles stood around the table, waiting for the King before sitting. They turned once the royals entered, bows and curtsies abounding. Then they all moved to their seats as Nohansen took his place at the head of the table. Zelda and her fellow sages/leaders sat down after him, closest to the King.

Link was surprised to find himself seated next to Darunia rather than further down the table. He could already see several nobles eyeing him with distaste at the apparent snub of putting someone dressed commonly so close to the King rather than one of their own. The slightly overweight woman in fine silks that sat beside him glared at him from the corner of her eye. He could already tell that this was going to be extremely troublesome.

The meal began and everyone tucked into the exquisitely prepared dishes. Link ignored the talking going on around him as he ate, simply observing those at the table while eating with manners that surprised Navi, who had worried he'd accidentally make some kind of faux pas. Unfortunately, even though he was content to leave his fellow diners alone, that didn't mean they would extend him the same courtesy.

"So, who exactly are you?" An older man in golden clothing with blue stripes asked, looking down his nose at the young wanderer.

"This is Link of the Kokiri, a friend of mine I've known since I was ten." Zelda cut in before Link could respond, trying to head off any trouble. "He has been travelling for several years beyond Hyrule and has returned in order to compete in the tournament."

"He cannot be a Kokiri, your Highness." The woman seated beside him said with a disdainful sniff. "Everybody knows that all of the forest children are just that: children. They never age, and they never leave the forest."

Link took a last sip of his soup before setting the spoon down in the bowl, looking over to the woman, his blue eyes calm. "I'm adopted." He said simply.

Another noble, a man of about twenty five, wearing more ruffles and lace than most of the women there, raised a disbelieving eyebrow. "Oh really? An adopted Kokiri?" He turned to the princess, a look of smug superiority on his face, apparently not noticing how her own face had gone blank and stony. "I believe this man may be lying to you, possibly in order to get close to you, knowing your kind nature. He is probably the child of some woman of the night seeking to take unearned fortune for himself."

Despite the placid look on Zelda's face at this moment the princess dearly wanted to take one of the daggers hidden in her dress and make the arrogant fop a permanent soprano. And she wasn't the only one. Ruto stabbed her fork unnecessarily hard into her fish, Darunia slowly set down the stone he was chewing on, a thunderous look on his face, and Nabooru had a dangerous smile on her lips, eyes flinty.

The King noted all of this, and prepared himself to intervene. He knew his daughter, and knew that if Link was the type to take advantage of his association with her, she would have nothing to do with him in the first place. She was much too intelligent to be taken in that way.

Before he could respond, however, Link set his wineglass down and looked at the noble who had made the accusation calmly. "I do not know who my mother is. She could have been a noble. She could have been a farmer. She could well have been a prostitute. I don't know. Before I left the forest, the Great Deku Tree told me that I was taken in when she stumbled through the forest to end up before him, fatally wounded during a battle in Hyrule's last war which she had rushed into the forest to escape, with me in her arms. She begged him to take me in, to ensure I would survive, and the Great Deku Tree, being kind hearted and wise, agreed that I would be sheltered by the Kokiri and raised among them. She gave him my name with her last breath." He took another sip of wine, not seeming to care that everybody had gone silent to hear him speak. "The Kokiri raised me, taught me. I played games that taught me combat. I ran among the trees and learned how to always find my way. Saria taught me right from wrong, along with music and the value of standing firm. And when I reached my tenth year, the Great Deku Tree said I was ready to leave if I wanted to, in order to make my own fortune, but that I would always be welcome in my first home."

"I see…" Nohansen said after a moment of silence. Not even his friends, save for Navi, had known most of that. "To think you were an orphan of that terrible conflict." He smiled at the Link. "Whatever else, from what I can see, and from what my daughter has said, you have grown into a fine young man that any mother would be proud to call her own."

Link nodded gratefully to the King, smiling slightly when he saw the sages all looking at him just as proudly. The his gaze turned mischievous, and he turned back to the man who had accused him of being out to grift Zelda. "Besides, I do not need Zelda's handouts. I didn't introduce myself properly, I'm afraid, even to the King." As everyone looked confused, Link stood up and bowed again to the King. "Allow me to re-introduce myself, your Highness." He spoke in a perfect courtly manner. "I am Sir Link of Kokiri, Marquess of Solaria, Earl of Miletirus, and member of the ruling Council of Exarchs for the land of Atolla."

The banquet hall went dead silent, absolutely everybody there staring at Link in shock. Zelda had to work hard to keep her jaw from falling. Navi had dropped onto the table in surprise. Ruto lost her grip on her fork, which landed on her porcelain plate with a clatter. Nabooru stared at him, wide eyed, before a calculating gleam appeared in her eyes. And Darunia blinked furiously before sticking a pinky in his ear to make sure he heard right.

"Y-you're lying…" The older noble stammered in shock.

Link reached into a small pouch at his belt and dropped three golden signet rings onto the table. Nabooru reached over the table and picked one up, studying the seal on it. It displayed the image of a wolf's head, mouth open, with the sun in its jaws. "This is real gold…"

"He stole them!" The overweight woman cried, trying to keep the reality that they had insulted a ruler of another land rather blatantly from being true.

"Enough!" The King thundered, and the nobles went stiff. Then Nohansen turned back to Link, speaking more formally than he had before. "Sir Link, I do not mean to doubt you, but if you truly hold such stations, why did you not tell us?"

Link shrugged. "They do not matter as much to me as they do to others. I left a proxy on the council, and placed people I trust in charge of my lands so I could continue travelling. Besides…" He smiled. "One learns people's true character more from their interactions with their inferiors than with their superiors."

Zelda smiled, admiration and pride in her eyes as she gazed at her friend. The other sages had similar looks, and Zelda could almost feel Impa's approval of the young knight from where she hid.

Link sat back down as the King ordered that the meal resume after the interruption, content to eat in silence as the nobles murmured to each other quietly, spooked, and his friends talked more enthusiastically, the unspoken decision amongst them being not to pester Link with questions. At least, not yet.

When the banquet finally ended and the nobles began to retire for the night, many eyeing Link warily, Zelda approached him with a smile. "If you want, we can have a room in the castle prepared for you, _Sir_ Link."

Link chuckled and shook his head. "I prefer the inn. Malon already got me a room."

Zelda shook her own head ruefully. "Very well then. I'll see you tomorrow."

Link bowed his head to his friend in agreement, gave his farewells to the others, finishing with a last, courtly bow to King Nohansen, receiving a smiling nod in return, and left to head back into town, Navi flying after him.

As the King left to retire as well once Zelda told him she would help their honored guests get settled in, the leader of the sages turned to her friends, Impa melting out of the shadows to join them. "Well then, I think we have quite a bit to talk about, don't we?"

Darunia crossed his thick arms with a chuckle as Nabooru and Ruto nodded. "That's an understatement, princess." The gerudo woman said.

Zelda waved them along as she left, looking for a good place to talk.

* * *

As everyone in Castle Town was retiring for the night, a man could be seen walking across the plains to what seemed like an empty field bordered by some trees, had anybody been there to look. He glanced around before taking a few more steps forward between a couple of trees, disappearing behind an illusion.

Hidden behind the illusion was a massive military encampment which he began to walk through. All around him were tents, with soldiers, mercenaries, beasts and even some monsters going about preparatory tasks. Each troop had a bold colored insignia denoting their allegiance, seven such insignias visible in the throng. The various factions eyed each other warily, with growls, snarls, and angry words filling the air, though nobody was foolish enough to begin actually fighting. The sounds of the various denizens joined the ringing of hammers and anvils as smithies were continuously put to work, smoke rising into the air.

Finally the man reached a large tent, more elaborate than any others, and after getting announced by the guards, he walked in to find the inside as opulent as the rest. Rugs of various makes covered the floor, and shelves full of books and scrolls hid the walls, with lanterns hanging from the support beams to provide light. In the center of the tent was a round table, seven chairs set around it, and various maps of Hyrule covering the surface.

"Report!" An inhuman voice barked from one of the seats around the table.

The man bowed. "Sir, I have scouted the target extensively. The defenses of the town and the castle itself are as formidable as we had been told. Breaching it will not be a simple matter." When the voice began to growl animalistically the man hurried to continue. "H-however…"

"However…?" A sultry female voice came from another of the seats, malice creeping into it.

"Th-they're having a festival in fairgrounds outside of the town walls, in honor of the princess' birthday." The scout continued nervously. "The royal family, as well as the leaders of the other peoples of Hyrule, and many nobles who serve the King, all plan to attend every day of the festivities, which include a tournament in a stadium they set up. If we attack there, we could remove the land's leadership in one fell swoop."

The was silence in the tent for a few moments before a strong, cultured male voice began to laugh, a hint of cruel madness hiding within it. "Excellent. Truly the fates have favored us. You are right, it is a perfect time to strike."

Another male voice, this one old, yet with a hint of steel in it, spoke next. "Draw us a map, young man. Detail everything you know of the fairgrounds and the defences of the town proper. We will determine what our best course of action is once you do so."

"So, this might just be easier than we thought. Truly these Hylians are an overconfident, foolish lot." Another voice said once the scout had left with a bow. This one sounded young, like a child, yet it was mixed with the crackling noise of static discharge.

"We'llbeabletostrikebeforetheyrealizewhat'shappening." A sixth voice said so rapidly it almost couldn't be understood.

"Yes…" One last voice said. It was female, young and cultured, but it dripped with such rage and hatred that it was almost painful to hear. "Soon we will all be able to take this land for ourselves. And once we've destroyed everything these people have built, once the forests are ash, the lakes are dry, the stones of the buildings have crumbled, the the bare earth is soaked in blood…"

"When that happens, our vengeance will finally be complete."

* * *

 _ **BOOM! I'm back!**_

 _ **I actually meant to update this story over a month ago. Unfortunately, issues that I've gone into in the latest Brightest chapter hindered me, and it was left till now. Still, I'm happy I finally managed to release it, because I've been wanting to continue this story for a while.**_

 _ **So, this chapter had some surprises I highly doubt many, if any, people were expecting. Please, let me know what you thought of them.**_

 _ **Since Link has been travelling for seven years, but we don't really get much on what happens after Majora's Mask, I've made up several places that he visited, some of which he talked about/mentioned here.**_

 _ **Oh, speaking of, this fic isn't canon with the official Child Timeline. Probably obvious, but thought I'd say so.**_

 _ **Because of this, a lot of OCs will be present in this story, primarily amongst the villains of the fic. All the evil voices are originals.**_

 _ **I'm sorry if this bothers people. I know I'm not huge on OCs myself. They can be irritating if done badly. I'm hoping to avoid that problem.**_

 _ **This fic has a soundtrack, by the way. There's a composer called Sam Dillard who does tribute albums based on games. If you have Spotify look up Zelda Cinematica. The music is amazing. He also did one for Chrono Trigger, Chrono Cinematica, which I actually Kickstarted and highly recommend.**_

 _ **Anyway, that's it for now. Thanks for reading, and please**_ ** _ **review.**_** _ **Till next time.**_


	4. Round Two

_Link watched in horror as the moon began to fall above Termina, his recently Deku Scrub cursed form shaking slightly, whether from fear or the fact that the ground began to tremble the closer the celestial body got to crushing Clock Town, he wasn't sure._

 _He didn't know what to do. Skull Kid had proven himself too powerful to confront directly in his current state, and even if he could beat him, there was simply no time._

 _Time. That brought to mind a memory of Zelda reteaching him the Song of Time. Looking down at the Ocarina of Time, which he had managed to knock from the Skull Kid's hands, he knew that it was his only chance. He had no time to try anything else, now able to hear the screams of the residents of Clock Town as they scrambled to get away from the imminent destruction._

 _He was surprised when the Ocarina magically changed into a set of Deku Pipes when he tried to play it, but he pushed that aside in order to begin the Song of Time, somehow knowing instinctively the proper way to get the notes he wanted out of the unfamiliar instrument._

 _He played, and as the last note of the song faded away, he waited for something to happen to stop this calamity, to whisk him to safety._

 _But nothing did._

 _Link felt a crushing despair enter his heart as he realized the Song had done nothing, that he had failed and was going to die. He looked up again, feeling the heat and force of the falling moon press down on him, the sense of malevolent glee of the Skull Kid suffusing everything as the masked boy cackled madly._

 _Link felt his wooden body catch fire, his limbs alight. He saw the two fairies, Tael and Tatl, drop from the sky, dead before they hit the ground, as the only thing he could hear over the crashing sound of the falling moon was Skull Kid's insane laughter._

 _He couldn't help it. As he felt his body turn to ash, Link cried out for the only being that had always given him comfort since he left the forest._

" _NAAAAAAVIIIIII!"_

* * *

Link's eyes opened, the distant call of a cucco breaking the calm of the morning as sunlight streamed through the gaps in the curtains of the window. He brought a hand to his sweat slick face, the covers on his bed pushed to the side, exposing his bare torso to the chill morning air.

A nightmare. He sighed as he felt himself relax. They weren't uncommon. Dreaming of the past, with a dark twist, was something he'd learned to deal with after many years of adventuring. Things that happened. Things that could have happened. They all haunted him.

He turned his head, finding Navi sound asleep in the small bed on the bedside table that had apparently been delivered from the palace the night before while he had been at the banquet.

The banquet… Link let out another sigh, this one of irritation. He hadn't intended on revealing his titles and status when he'd gone there. He'd been content to simply be a humble warrior and adventurer. He didn't really need much more than that. Otherwise he would have stayed in Atolla and taken over his duties as Exarch.

That wasn't the life he wanted, however. He was a simple man, raised in the forest where the children only traded rupees out of amusement rather than any true desire for wealth. Everybody there knew that If they truly needed something it would be freely given.

However, the nobles at the banquet had irritated him. He could handle them casting aspersions as to his character. As far as they knew he was a commoner, after all. But when they had insulted Zelda in saying she had been foolishly tricked he had felt the need to act. The princess was a dear friend, after all, even if his feelings about her were somewhat complicated. Sometimes he loved her, sometimes he resented her. But considering her place in his life, that wasn't surprising.

At least the nobles' faces at his revelation had been immensely amusing.

Link got up and out of bed with a groan and a yawn, opening the curtains and letting the sunlight stream into his room. He heard Navi let out a groan of discomfort as the light hit her and couldn't keep a smile from appearing on his face at the reminder of her presence. Then he moved into the middle of the room and began performing his morning exercises.

"Mmm? Link?" Navi asked sleepily, peering blearily over the side of her bed at the floor where he was performing some pushups.

"Morning, Navi." He grunted as he exercised, not seeming to have any real trouble with what he was doing.

The fairy was silent for a few moments before she spoke softly. "I wasn't dreaming, then? You're really back?"

Link smiled up at her as he turned onto his back to begin doing sit ups. "I'm here, Navi."

Navi jumped out of her bed and launched herself at the young warrior, holding onto him tightly as he sat on the floor. "I'm… I'm so glad…" She sobbed lightly.

Link gently reached up and ran his finger along her back, soothing her as he let her cry in relief. Once she'd recovered and released him he gave her a smile before resuming his exercise.

Navi watched her partner work out, observing his form in the morning light. She took in the many scars and marks of combat, feeling an ache in her chest at the evidence of the many dangerous situations he'd been through without her to watch his back like she should have. Still, she shook the melancholy off, promising herself that she would make up for the time they'd been separated.

Instead she put a teasing smirk on her face. "Looking good, Link. You must have had girls falling over themselves at the sight of you." She said with a small giggle, enjoying the sight of his extremely attractive form becoming covered in sweat as he kept working out.

Link rolled his eyes. "Not really."

"So you didn't meet anybody special?" She asked with interest.

His reps slowed at the question. "One or two…" He admitted slowly.

Navi leaned forward with interest, a large grin on her face. "Ooh, really? Tell me about them."

He quickly shook his head. "Maybe later."

Navi pouted. "You're no fun. I wanted to find out about the girls that caught your eye. You always seemed mostly immune to girls while we were travelling. I'd swear you were interested in men if it weren't for that time I caught you masturbating to Nabooru."

Link was pushing himself up off of the floor when she said that, and his hand slipped in surprise at her words, sending him crashing him back to the floor. "Navi!" He shouted, face red.

Said fairy burst out laughing, falling back onto her bed as her legs kicked the air in glee. "Hahahaha! Your face! That was perfect! I knew keeping that to myself till the perfect moment was a good idea!"

Link grumbled as he got to his feet, though a small smile kept trying to lift the corners of his mouth. He moved over to the wash basin full of clean water and grabbed a washcloth to clean himself while he waited for his fairy to get over her amusement at his expense.

A knock at the door followed by Malon's voice interrupted the laughing fairy. "You alright, Fairy Boy? I heard a crash and a shout."

"I'm fine." He called. "You can come in."

The door opened and the redhead peered in, her face lighting up with a blush when she caught sight of Link's strong, muscular back facing her. "You could at least be decent if you're going to invite a girl into your room, you know." She chided, though she didn't avert her gaze, simply enjoying the show.

Navi grinned, amused. "I agree. You should be more considerate, Link, even if the view is nice."

Malon blinked at the unexpected voice, turning her gaze to the small bed with the fairy on it. "Oh, hello. Sorry, didn't see you there."

Navi waved it off. "It's fine." She took the girl in. "You've grown up, Malon. Last time I we met you were still a kid."

Malon's look of confusion was replaced by realization. "Oh, you're Fairy Boy's fairy." She blushed then, embarrassed. "Sorry, I forgot your name."

"It's alright. It's been about seven years since you last saw me, after all. I'm Navi." The fairy said brightly.

Malon smiled. "Nice to meet you again." She then turned to Link, who was beginning to put his clothes on. "Anyway, me and dad were about to have breakfast and I came to ask if you wanted to join us."

Link nodded agreeably. "I'll be right down."

Malon smiled happily. "Great. See you in a bit, then." She closed the door and headed back downstairs.

Navi turned to look at her partner, who was lacing up his boots. "I'm pretty sure she has a thing for you."

Link blushed lightly. "You're imagining things."

Navi giggled. "Well, she was definitely enjoying the view."

Link sighed before standing up, shifting to make sure all his clothes and armor fit comfortably. Navi quickly flew up to sit on his shoulder, kicking her feet lightly as they headed down to the inn's common room, which was nearly packed with people enjoying breakfast and excitedly looking forward to the next round of the tournament.

Making his way among the people, which included a few zoras, a goron, and a couple of gerudo that were being fawned over by some hylian youths, he finally reached Malon and Talon, who had some bread, jams, bacon and eggs on the table in front of them.

Talon smiled at him as he took a seat. "Good morning, my boy. Rest well?"

Link nodded as he served himself. "Well enough.." He said as Navi floated down onto the table, beginning to eat as well from the small pieces of food that Link set to the side of his plate for her.

Talon raised an eyebrow at the fairy sharing their table. "And this is?"

Navi blushed as she realized she'd just gone straight for the food. "Sorry. I'm Navi. I'm Link's fairy companion."

Recognition lit up in Talon's eyes. "Ah, now I remember. You were with him when he first came to the ranch as a kid." He smiled. "Well, it's good to see you again, little miss."

"Same here, Talon." Navi said with a smile.

"How was dinner at the castle, Fairy Boy?" Malon suddenly asked, leaning forward eagerly, obviously having been wanting to know for a while now.

Link chewed on his bread thoughtfully before answering. "...Irritating."

Malon blinked, surprised. "Irritating?"

Navi elaborated. "The nobles didn't take a commoner sitting at the same table as them well. Especially when he was seated closer to the royals than they were." She was about to brag about the fact that he was actually the ruler of a foreign kingdom when she caught his warning look and changed tack. "The royals and the leaders of the other peoples of Hyrule were nice to him, at least."

"It was nice to catch up." He said with a small smile.

Malon frowned and let out a small huff. "I'm not surprised the nobles were rude to you, Fairy Boy. Whenever one comes over to the ranch for a horse they are always conceited and mean."

"In any case…" Talon said before his daughter could go on about the nobles' lack of manners. "Are you ready for the next round of the tournament, Link?"

Link gave a small, confident smile. "Yes."

"Excellent! I've got four hundred rupees riding on you to win the entire thing, so I look forward to seeing you reach the end." The portly man said with a chuckle.

Malon's head whipped around to stare at her father, surprised to hear he'd been gambling. "Dad!?"

"What are my odds?" Link asked, curious.

"A hundred and thirty-seven to one when I placed my bet." Talon said with a smile. "Your status as an unknown really worked in my favor."

"Since when do you gamble?" Malon asked, confused.

Talon shrugged. "Since now. It's not that great a bet. Our shipment for the festival will cover it. And do you really expect Link to lose?"

"Of course not." Malon retorted. "But I don't want you getting any more bad habits."

"I won't." Her father assured her before blinking. "Wait, what do you mean 'any more'?"

The redhead turned away, ignoring her father's indignation with ease. "Well, I think we should get to the stadium. You need to get ready to fight, and we need to find good seats." She said with a smile.

Link chuckled at the byplay and nodded as he swallowed a last bit of bacon, getting up and heading to his room to grab his gear.

"Sweetheart, what did you mean by 'any more'?" He heard Talon ask in a wounded tone as he left, which made Navi giggle on his shoulder.

* * *

Zelda smiled as Navi flew over to her as a gerudo raised her fist in triumph to the cheering of the crowd as a man from a mercenary group called the Red Fangs was dragged away after being soundly defeated. "Good morning, Navi. I'm surprised to see you already."

"Good morning, Zelda. Link's getting ready for his fight, and I can't exactly join him in the arena."

"How is he?" Ruto asked as Nabooru finally sat down after displaying her pride.

"He's good." Navi said brightly. "He's staying at one of the inns in town with Talon and Malon from Lon Lon Ranch."

"I'm looking forward to seeing the young man's skills." Nohansen said with interest coloring his tone. "He overwhelmed his opponent rather handily in his first fight, so I'm interested in seeing how he fares against someone more skilled and with a different style."

"We'll find out in a moment, father. His fight is next." Zelda said as the announcer stepped up and called out the names of the next combatants.

"Link of the Kokiri will now face Isali of Ordon Field!" He called as the combatants walked out into the arena. Link's stride was confident and unhurried, his blue scarf flapping lightly in the morning breeze.

His opponent was a woman in her early twenties with long brown hair and chocolate eyes, a few freckles on the bridge of her nose. She wore a blue robe with long, flaring sleeves which was cut short around her thighs and cinched tightly around her slim waist, exposing black tights and knee length boots meant to protect her legs from attack. In her hand she held a staff of gnarled oak wood, a crystal secured at the top.

"A mage then." Navi murmured as she watched the two face each other, Isali with a confident smirk on her face while Link studied her cautiously.

When the match was called to begin Isali immediately jumped back, pointing her staff forward to ward off an attack. Link, however, was playing defensively and simply held his shield in front of him, alert for a magical attack.

Seeing that her opponent wasn't going to make the first move, Isali aimed her staff at him and murmured something under her breath, a ball of flame launching itself at Link, who promptly moved, running with surprising swiftness to the side, strafing around with his shield still up in case of any surprises. His caution served him well, as a large spear of ice was launched at him, impacting against the shield with a loud clanging sound, arresting his momentum and prompting a burst of cheering from the crowds. She quickly launched another fireball at him, but he once again avoided it, though it was a much closer run thing this time.

This went on for another few minutes, Link trying to approach and Isali keeping him at bay with elemental attacks that didn't actually cause any damage. It appeared to be a stalemate.

Then Link apparently had enough and fell back, moving away from his opponent. Isali eyed him warily, staff at the ready in case of attack. She and the rest of the audience was confused when he sheathed his sword and slung his shield back over his back. He faced her empty handed, but right when she was about to launch another spell at him he moved his arms in a slightly complicated manner, and suddenly his hands were no longer empty, a bow now in his hands with a quiver of arrows strapped to the small of his back.

The bow was a beautiful piece of work, made of some sort of dark wood and carved with images of warriors and beasts such as wolves and eagles. It made more than one of the craftsmen watching feel envious of the skill required to create it.

Isali's eyes widened when Link drew and nocked an arrow with practiced ease, aiming at her in less than a second. She barely got a magical shield up in time to protect herself, the barrier visibly cracking from the impact of the arrow, which she was relieved to see was blunt, though it would still be likely to take her out of the fight if it hurt considering the force it had hit her shield with.

"Well then, I guess we know what Sir Link's chosen enchanted item is for this match." The King said as he watched Link pepper the mage with blunt arrows.

"No." Navi said as she watched intently. "The bow isn't enchanted. You can have it checked by your mages after the match if you want. Link is just a really good bowman. He's good enough to score very well on the gerudo's horseback archery range. Making items appear like he did the bow is a piece of magic that all kokiri learn. It helps them carry a lot of stuff around without being weighed down. Link doesn't look it, but he's a walking arsenal, always making sure to have a tool or weapon for any situation."

"Indeed?" Nohansen asked with raised eyebrows. "Would this be something he'd be willing to teach? It would be immensely useful for soldiers or others who may need to travel large distances with many supplies or pieces of equipment.."

The fairy tilted her head to the side. "Maybe. I'll discuss it with him. We might need to consult with Saria and the Great Deku Tree, since it's primarily a kokiri skill."

The King nodded agreeably. "Very well. I look forward to the answer then."

Down in the arena Isali appeared to finally have enough. With an incantation she was surrounded by a plume of wind which deflected Link's latest arrow. He paused in his assault, eyes narrowed, when she jumped up into the air, beginning to rise till she was high above and well out of reach of his physical attacks, the wind surrounding her negating his arrows as well.

Nabooru leaned forward, fingers interlaced as she looked on in interest. "Well now, how is Link going to get out of this one?"

Link's eyes narrowed and his bow disappeared from his hands before he armed himself once again with his sword and shield. Before he could do anything more, however, Isali raised her hands above her head and began to chant. Crackling yellow energy appeared between her hands and began to coalesce, becoming brighter and brighter.

Zelda gasped, quickly grabbing a few sheets of paper she kept close at hand. "I recognize that spell! I thought it was on the banned list!" She quickly went through the list of banned spells in her hand before her eyes narrowed.

"Zelda?" Ruto asked, concerned.

"It's not on the banned list." Zelda seethed as the energy between Isali's hands reached a fever pitch, her chanting loud and forceful. "I could have sworn…"

"What does it do?" Darunia asked seriously.

He got his answer when Isali let out a final, shouted word and thrust her hands towards Link, who stood with his shield at the ready. A mass of lightning burst from between the mage's hands, the bolts flowing non-stop for several seconds, blinding everyone and making them turn their heads, meaning they couldn't see what happened to Link.

Blinking spots out of their eyes along with the rest of the crowd, the King and the Sages turned to look at where Link had been standing, all of them worried about what had happened to the young warrior.

There was more than one sigh of relief when they saw that he was fine, a barrier of energy shaped like a crystal surrounding his body. The ground was scorched around him, showing the destructive power of the spell he'd managed to protect himself from.

"Oh thank the Goddesses…" Ruto said, slumping with relief.

"I'd completely forgotten that he knew that spell…" Navi murmured, relief in her own voice as well.

The crowd had begun to cheer when it became apparent that Link had managed to survive such a devastating attack. Isali still floated up above, breathing heavily after the exertion of using that spell, but her eyes were wide with disbelief.

As the barrier around Link disappeared he crouched down, weapons at the ready, and jumped. All the spectators were confused by what he was attempting to do, as there was no way he'd be able to reach Isali by simply jumping.

However, everybody was surprised when his scarf unfurled and lengthened, becoming a great blue cloak which was split halfway up the middle to make it look like wings. The comparison became more apt when the cloak floated slightly and flapped, adding height to Link's jump till it looked like he was flying.

Isali was caught completely by surprise, and that added to her exhaustion meant she was unable to react in time to prevent Link from bashing his shield into her face, breaking her nose, her wind barrier not being enough to deflect him. She lost her concentration as her head rang like a struck bell, and her wind spell dissipated, making her begin dropping to the ground head first.

The crowd gasped, thinking Isali was going to break her neck when she hit the ground, but another flap of Link's 'wings' drove him towards his opponent, his weapons now sheathed. He managed to grab Isali out of the air just in time and rolled with the impact as they hit the ground, keeping them from getting injured.

The crowd cheered as Isali looked up at Link in surprise at his chivalry as he held her before she sighed. With her nose pouring blood and her body still weak with exhaustion she knew what her only option was."I yield." She said as loudly as she could, prompting more cheers from the audience.

Zelda clapped with a smile as her fellow sages showed their own approval for Link's win in their own ways. As the healers came out onto the field to take Isali from Link's arms she turned to one of her attendants. "Get me the tournament organizer in charge of the rules, now. I want to know why that spell was allowed when I specifically stated it was to be banned."

The attendant shivered at the cold voice her princess spoke with, and she nodded quickly before rushing to do as told.

Satisfied, Zelda turned back to the arena as Link left back to the fighters' waiting station, Navi quickly heading after him after waving goodbye to the princess.

"That was impressive." Nohansen said as he stroked his beard. "Young Sir Link is quite resourceful, and full of surprises. He has considerable weapons skill, has at least one enchanted item that is very useful, and even knows some highly effective magic of his own." He chuckled lightly. "And something tells me we've only seen a fraction of what there is to see."

"Yes." Darunia said as he sat back in his seat. "He has been that way since he was a child. He defeated a beast even the gorons feared to face using his wits and bravery."

"Never, ever, underestimate him." Nabooru said with a grin, though her tone was rather serious. "He will always surprise you." He shrugged and she crossed her legs and relaxed.

"I'm looking forward to seeing what other new tricks he's learned." Ruto said before turning to Zelda. "What do you think?"

Zelda considered it briefly as a sweating man in officious clothing approached with the attendant she'd sent off before, looking terrified. "I think… Link is going to shock all of us before this is all over."

* * *

 _ **Hello all! Welcome to another chapter of No Good Deed!**_

 _ **This story won the Patron poll, which is why it's been updated sooner than it usually would on its own. I was surprised it beat Survival of the Fittest?, but I'm not complaining. It's nice to work on something different.**_

 _ **As a reminder, if you become patrons, you get a vote equal to the dollar amount you donated for whatever story you want to see updated next on my poll. It's Pat A Ron dotcom /athanmortis.**_

 _ **As for the story itself, the tournament continues! I hope the fight was entertaining. I've stated before in other fics that fight scenes aren't my specialty, character interaction is. Still, I hope it was up to par.**_

 _ **I had a couple of people ask why I used OCs for villains rather than use someone like Vaati or Bellum. There is actually a reason why I needed OCs rather than established villains. It all relates to the fic's title (which I'm actually surprised no one's asked me about. I wouldn't answer, but I still expected a question or two). You'll understand eventually.**_

 _ **I think that's it for now. See you all next time.**_


	5. Making a Splash

Link walked to an empty corner of the fighters' waiting area after checking to see who his next fight was with and seeing that his opponent hadn't been decided yet. Navi took a seat on his shoulder as he found a chair to relax on, kicking her tiny feet. "How long have you been back Hyrule, Link?" The fairy asked curiously.

"Little under a week." Her partner said as he leaned back against one of the wooden walls, listening to the cheers of the crowds as the fights continued.

"What did Saria say when you told her you were back?" She asked. "She's been worried about her best friend. She always asks for news when I go see her each month."

"...Haven't talked to her yet." Link admitted slowly, making the tiny woman gasp.

"Link! You should have reached out to her as soon as you arrived in Hyrule!" Navi admonished, flying in front of his face in order to wag her finger at him. "You do so right now, mister!"

Link hesitated briefly before nodding, feeling guilty for not contacting his best friend as soon as he could. He pulled the Ocarina of Time out of his magical storage space and brought it to his lips, pausing briefly before closing his eyes and beginning to play Saria's Song, not noticing the other contestants turn at the sudden music.

It took several long seconds, but eventually he felt the connection he hadn't felt in years reemerge. " _Link? Is that you?"_ Saria's voice came directly into his mind, sounding cautiously hopeful.

" _Hello Saria."_ He replied, his fingers going through the familiar motions of the song without any actual conscious thought.

He heard a small sob of happiness in his mind. " _You're back! I'm so happy. I was beginning to think you'd forgotten about me."_

" _Never going to happen."_ He replied firmly.

" _When are you coming back to the forest?"_ She asked eagerly. " _And where are you, anyway?"_

" _At the tournament. I'll visit when it's over."_

" _I'll hold you to that."_ She said happily. Then her voice turned wistful. " _I wish I could have gone to see the tournament. Navi told me about what it would be like. I'd like to see you win."_

" _I'll tell you how it goes."_ He assured her. He was about to continue when the ocarina was suddenly knocked out of his hand. Link opened his eyes, blinking, finding a man in plate armor standing in front of him, pulling his hand back from the swing at the priceless artifact.

His assailant was decently handsome, with dark hair and eyes. His looks were marred by the sneer on his face and the condescending look he gave the younger man. "Stop distracting those of us that are here to win the tournament, _boy._ " He said, the last word full of disdain. "You lowborn louts shouldn't even be in such a prestigious tournament, so the least you could do is remember your station and stay out of sight of your betters." He turned around to move away, a small posse sneering and sniggering just as much as their leader. "Now take your vermin and leave us be." With that he walked away.

"Vermin!?" Navi snarled, sounding like she was ready to inflict grievous bodily harm to the arrogant bastard. "When I'm through with him he'll wish he'd never left his mother's skirts!"

Link picked up the ocarina, inspecting it for damage even though he knew from experience that there wouldn't be any. "Leave it." He told her.

"You're not just going to let him get away with this?" The fairy asked incredulously.

Link shrugged. "No point getting worked up. I'll beat him if I face him."

Navi huffed. "Fine, but if you get the chance, you better grind that overinflated ego into the dust."

Link shook his head with a smile, having almost forgotten how vindictive his partner could be. He could have sworn that fairies were supposed to be good influences on their partners.

Sitting back down he brought the ocarina back to his lips, Saria's Song flowing out once again as he waited for something to happen.

* * *

"So, you figure out what happened?" Nabooru asked Zelda once they'd returned from the lunch break between rounds. All the sages but Ruto were back in their seats as the crowd gathered, the zora princess soaking in the stands Zelda'd had constructed specifically for the Zora audience, which were seats in what was essentially a large tub of water, so that the zora's could stay hydrated. The hylian princess had admonished herself for forgetting that her friend would need something similar.

Ruto had endured it with commendable grace, but it became obvious as the morning went on that she was having a bit of trouble, drinking water almost constantly and slightly flushed from the light heat of the day. As soon as the break was announced she dove into the zora stands on the pretense of talking to her people, though the real reason was obvious. None of the sages made an issue of it, and Nohansen was smart enough to do the same.

Focusing back on the present Zelda nodded to the older woman. "Yes. It seems like shortly before the tournament began someone claiming to be a messenger from me delivered an updated list of allowed spells for the organizers to distribute. That list included the spell Isali used on Link. I've studied the new list and found several dangerous spells I specifically wanted banned on it." She shook her head. "I should have double checked the spell list I was given when it was brought to me at the beginning of the tournament. As it is I've instructed the organizers on which spells are once again banned, and that this list stands unless I say otherwise in person."

Nabooru nodded, arms crossed, gaze serious. "Someone wanted to undermine the tournament by engineering a possible death on the field despite the stated rules. The question is why."

Zelda pinched the bridge of her nose. "I don't know, but I'm going to be vigilant going forward. There's no telling what the endgame is of whoever did this." She turned when Ruto approached, her skin beaded with water and a relaxed smile on her face. "Feeling better?"

Ruto nodded as she picked up a goblet of water. "Much."

"I am sorry for forgetting to take your needs into account like that, Ruto. I thought I'd managed to plan for every eventuality, but I guess it's true that there will always be some detail that slips passed your gaze." Zelda said contritely.

The zora waved the apology away. "It's alright, Zelda. Take it as a learning experience." She sat down on her seat. "When will the next round start?"

The King was the one to respond as the conversation he was having with Darunia ended. "From the look of the crowd I would say any time now, am I right dear?" He asked his daughter, who nodded.

The tournament did indeed resume shortly afterwards, the fights proceeding apace. As this was the third round the combat got longer and more ferocious, the remaining contestants being some of the best there was to see now that the weaker and less skilled competitors had been weeded out. All the while the sages waited eagerly for their friend's next bout.

It took a few hours, but when Navi came flying over to them they knew it was time for what they most wanted to see. Each of them, even the King, became more attentive as the combatants of the latest fight left the arena, one needing assistance from the healers.

"Link of the Kokiri will now fight Tila of the Zora!" The announcer called as the combatants entered the field.

Tila was an attractive zora female that appeared to be a few years older than Ruto. Around her waist she had a woven cord with several pouches hanging from it. Beyond that the only thing of real note was what looked like a wooden flute to most of the audience in her hand.

Of course, after having seen the woman fight a couple of times before, the sages knew what it actually was. Not that they would warn Link even if they could. They were all well aware he wouldn't thank them for it.

When the match began Tila immediately brought the flute to her lips after sliding a loose slip of wood in place to cover the holes. Then she blew while aiming the open end of it at Link, revealing it to double as a dart gun.

Link quickly and easily dodged the dart even though it would likely do little to him unless it hit his face thanks to his armor. He knew better than to take a hit he didn't need to.

His distraction with the dart was exactly what Tila wanted, however, as she used the time given to turn and sprint for the pond that was along the wall, being smart and zigzagging slightly to keep any retaliatory shots from landing.

"She's doing it again…" Darunia rumbled as he leaned back in his seat. "I wonder how my brother is going to deal with this."

"She has won her matches handily once she reached the pond." Nohansen agreed. "Sir Link's best chance would be to stop that from happening, but he doesn't know enough of her capabilities to be aware of that."

Link had indeed followed Tila, sheathing his sword and shield as some bolas appeared in his hands, peaking Zelda and Impa's interest. He threw the bolas at the zora's legs with ease when she was a few yards away from the water, making her go down with a cry, falling onto the grass at the edge of the small strip of sand that encircled the pond.

Link knew better than to think the fight was over, instead unsheathing his sword again as he approached. Unfortunately he didn't move fast enough and Tila moved the strip of wood on her blowgun to turn it back into a flute, bringing it up to her lips and playing a quick, slightly frantic series of notes.

Link was forced to stop and dodge to the side as a tentacle of water shot out of the pond and whipped down to attack him, another tentacle scooping Tila up and depositing the zora in the water, which let her sink underneath to disentangle to rope around her legs without fear of retaliation.

Link moved back slightly, eyes wary and shield up as he kept an eye out for any more attacks while trying to figure out what his best course of action would be. Quickly switching his sword for his bow he stood at the ready, waiting for his opponent to poke her head out of the water.

It took several minutes during which the crowd began to murmur to each other, but eventually Tila did just that, her flute already at her lips. Link immediately loosed an arrow, but it was intercepted by another tendril of water which batted it away as the zora played a quick, playful tune. Soon enough multiple water tentacles had risen from the pond and began to swing at Link, doing their best to plaster him all over the ground as he began dodging.

"This is the part where she got the other two." Ruto said with a small, prideful smile. "Tila is one of our best water mages after all."

"Indeed." Nohansen said thoughtfully. "Her first opponent got flattened and had to be carried out on a stretcher, the second yielded when he found he was unable to reach her without suffering the same fate." The king stroked his beard thoughtfully. "I wonder what Sir Link will be able to do about it…"

Link moved back out of range of the tentacles and eyed them critically with a furrowed brow. Stowing his bow he stood for a moment in thought, empty handed, Tila playing a slow tune, ready to react to any attack.

Finally coming to a decision Link moved his hands slightly, what seemed to be a mask appearing in his hands. Most there had trouble making it out, but a few, including Impa and Zelda, could see that it was a mask of a Zora's face.

"Huh?" Navi asked, confused as she saw her partner bring the mask up to his face. "What's that going to-" She was cut off when, as soon as he put the mask on, Link bent over in apparent pain, clutching his stomach. He let out a choked sound that the suddenly silent stadium could hear before he straightened up, throwing his head back as a cry of pain escaped him and a bright light emanated from the mask, blinding those looking at him.

Zelda shielded her eyes and turned her head, blinking furiously as she tried to regain her sight. Her head whipped back around as people began to gasp, none less so than her fellow sages. What she saw made her jaw drop.

Where Link once stood was a lithe yet strong looking zora male. Unlike most zoras he wore some clothing, including leather boots and elbow length gloves. What seemed to be a green skirt hung from his waist, which the princess realized looked like the lower part of Link's tunic. His back head fin was different as well, changing from the normal zora blue to a green color like Link's hat the further it went. His large eyes were just as blue as Link's own.

"Holy crap." Nabooru said in awe.

"Link!?" Navi exclaimed, shocked at the newest impossible thing her partner had done.

Zelda turned her gaze to Ruto to see how she was taking this development. The zora princess's eyes were wide, and a deep blush stained her cheeks. She appeared to be dazed, and her breathing was slightly laboured.

It didn't take a genius to see what Ruto's thoughts were.

The zora sage licked her lips before she addressed Navi. "You better remind your partner of his promise to me…"

Navi gulped. "R-right…"

The crowd was beginning to cheer the unexpected occurrence as they got over their shock while Tila quickly got over her own surprise, though a blush still colored her cheeks. The watery limbs began moving again after having frozen without input from their mistress.

The zora that Link had become cracked his neck before he suddenly began running straight towards the pond with surprising speed. When one of the watery tendrils moved to smash him a pair of large fins appeared on his forearms and he dove forward, slashing through it before continuing to run forward. As another limb swept in from the side he leapt over it acrobatically, tucking into a roll as he landed before hopping back to his feet without any apparent trouble.

Tila started getting worried and consolidated multiple tendrils into a single limb, larger around than Link was tall, which once again moved to smash him, not only not reduced in speed but somehow faster than its smaller variants.

The crowd made sounds of alarm as Link leapt directly at the tendril, positioned as though diving into a body of water. Shortly before he impacted with the tentacle his body lit up with a bio-electric aura that made pretty much every zora in attendance gasp in shock, which allowed him to sink into the water whip.

Everyone watched in awe as Link proceeded to swim along the inside of the tendril, heading straight for the pond it was emanating from. Even Tila made the mistake of letting her surprise get the best of her, keeping her from reacting in time to stop him, and before she realized it he'd reached her.

She only had a moment to gasp in shock before Link slammed a fist into her stomach under the water, his opponent losing control of her spell as her breath left her. The water tendrils splashed down, no longer held aloft.

Link wasn't done, however, and he quickly dragged her to the edge of the water before throwing her out onto dry land with surprising strength while she was still trying to get her bearings. Then he leapt out after her, lengthened his fin blades, and placed them on either side of her neck, pinning her to the ground. "Yield." He said calmly, gazing down at her with an intensity that made Tila blush despite her position.

"I-I yield." She choked out, still a bit short of breath. Link immediately pulled away from her, his fin blades practically disappearing as the medics rushed out onto the field and the crowd began to cheer his victory.

Letting out a sigh Link reached up for his face, a light once again enveloping him before leaving his normal hylian self in its place, mask in hand. He looked around at the roaring crowd, a small smile on his face, before he headed back to the fighters' waiting area.

"That boy has a lot of explaining to do." Navi growled before she took off after her partner.

"Indeed he does." Zelda murmured.

Nabooru poked Ruto's side playfully. "Doing alright, princess? Done swooning?"

Ruto's blush deepened again after having begun to fade. "I-I w-was not _swooning_." The zora growled ineffectually, practically unheard over Nabooru's cackling.

Zelda shook her head at her friends' antics before turning to the king. "What did you think, father?"

"I think you were spot on when you said Sir Link hadn't even begun to surprise us." The ruler of Hyrule said with a smile. "I'd never heard of magic that turned you into another of Hyrule's races before. It makes me more and more curious as to what other capabilities he has."

Darunia rumbled a laugh. "Yes, little brother has always been surprising. Still, if he can turn into a zora, I wonder if he can also turn into a goron…" He said thoughtfully.

"Now that would indeed be a sight to see." Nohansen said with a nod and a chuckle as the next fight was announced. "Maybe we'll find out as the tournament goes forward."

The sages all settled down to watch the rest of the fights even as their minds stayed thinking about their friend and what else he might be capable of.

* * *

 _ **Yay, I finished in time!**_

 _ **This story was the inner over on my Pat A Ron poll, so I've been working to get it done in time. Sadly I haven't had as much time to write as I'd like, so I did almost all of this in the space of the last 4 hours.**_

 _ **This is slightly shorter than my usual, but that's because it was primarily focused on the fight with a bit of setup for the future. I hope to go back to my usual length going forward.**_

 _ **What did everyone think of the fight? I hope it was entertaining.**_

 _ **I actually debated long and hard on whether to make Tila mle or female. I don't want to make all the spellcasters Link fights women, but it kinda felt right for this fight, you know?**_

 _ **I think that's all there is to say at the moment. As always, don't forget that you get a say in what I write when you donate to my Pat A Ron and vote in the monthly poll. No Good Deed is back on this month's poll, so if you want to see what happens next, feel free to throw it a few bucks. That's at Pat A Ron dotcom /athanmortis.**_

 _ **Till next time!**_


	6. Wooden Beatings

The day's competition was coming to a close as the sun began to set over the tournament grounds. The remaining fighters had gathered back in front of the royal seats, their numbers very much diminished from where they'd been the previous day. All around them the crowd cheered, only falling silent when the King stood and began to speak.

"It has been an incredible day which has showcased your many skills and strengths. You can all count yourselves among the best fighters in all of Hyrule now. Rest, and prepare, for tomorrow we shall see who rises to the top to be crowned champion!" The crowd cheered once again, the competitors all giving various signs of respect to the king.

Link turned once the short speech ended, heading to check the tournament bracket to see who he would be fighting first the next day. Navi kicked her legs on his shoulder, humming contentedly as she looked around at the various fighters that surrounded them, all intent on doing the same thing.

Upon reaching the bracket Link searched for a minute before his eyes landed on the name of his next opponent. "Sir Valeti Turen…" He turned to look at his fairy, eyebrow raised in question.

"Name sounds familiar, but I can't place it, sorry." Navi said after a moment's thought.

Link turned with a shrug, not too bothered by the lack of information. He'd find out the next day in any case. He stopped in his tracks when the knight that had knocked the ocarina out of his hands earlier stepped in front of him, still sneering in a manner fit to make Ganondorf green with envy. "Well, it seems you will finally face a true warrior tomorrow, 'kokiri'." He said dismissively.

"You would be Sir Valeti, then?" Navi asked, irritated.

The knight glanced from Link to Navi and back. "Are you so pathetic that you must have your pet speak for you? Even for a commoner, that's just sad."

"What was that?" Navi said dangerously before being ignored.

"My liege, Lord Amesec, told me about how you had the gall to insult him in front of the King at the dinner you were lucky enough to attend." Valeti said dangerously. "It doesn't matter what strange transformation or odd spell you use, boy, I will take great pleasure in putting dirt like you back in its place for your arrogance." He turned around and began to leave. "Come at me with your best tomorrow, so I can show everyone what place trash like you belongs." Then he was gone.

Link and Navi were silent momentarily, ignoring the audience the little confrontation had generated, before the fairy let out a loud groan. "By the goddesses, could he be more cliche'd! He's like a badly written character in one of the novels Zelda likes to read."

"Not the first I've met." Link said as he began to make his own way out. "Just because they're a cliche doesn't mean they don't actually exist." He said simply.

"Well, at least you'll get the chance to knock this one's teeth in." Navi said petulantly. "You better humiliate the bastard, too. I won't accept anything less."

"He seemed confident." Link said thoughtfully.

Despite their time apart, Navi could still read her partner like a book. "You think he's got a trump card up his sleeve?" When Link nodded she tapped her chin thoughtfully as they walked out onto the festival grounds. "I'll head to the castle, see what I can find out."

"Thanks." Link said as he saw Malon run towards him quickly, a big smile on her pretty face and bunny ears bouncing about. She didn't seem to notice the way people stared at the speed she was displaying.

The redhead stopped in front of Link, almost stumbling to the ground had he not caught her. "Careful."

"Oof, thanks, Fairy Boy." She said, straightening up. "Note to self, no sudden stops when wearing this thing."

Link and Navi chuckled before the fairy turned to look at her partner. "Alright, you go have fun with Malon. I'll head to the castle and look into Sir Fop." She patted his cheek mockingly. "Be a good boy and stay out of trouble for five minutes, okay?"

Link rolled his eyes before turning to the giggling Malon as Navi left. "Goodbye, mother."

Malon finished giggling before taking his arm much the way she had the previous day, which Link didn't mind in the least. There were much worse things than to have an attractive girl cling to him. "Alright, Fairy Boy, lets get some food and look at the stalls we couldn't yesterday." She quickly made her way into the throng of people as the many lamps were lit, pulling him along with deceptive strength as he smiled indulgently.

Link found himself surprised by the amount of attention he was getting now. His showing in the tournament was much more impressive than it had been the previous day, and people kept trying to get his attention. Children came up to him and chattered excitedly about his performance, several girls of various ages approached him flirtatiously, which irritated Malon, and a couple of zoras moved to speak with him regarding his transformation into one of their own.

A short time later the two youths were sitting on a bench a bit away from the crowd, eating some meat buns in companionable silence. Finishing the last of her meal Malon kicked her feet slightly, looking out over the mass of people still enjoying the festival. "You got pretty popular, Fairy Boy." She said finally, a small smile on her face. Her eyes moved over to look in his direction. "Lots of girls seem to want to take you home." At his noncommital hum she looked at him fully. "You ever find yourself a girl while you were travelling?" She asked with false nonchalance, doing her best to hide how interested she was in his answer.

Link was silent for a moment, remembering. "One or two…" He gave the same answer he'd given Navi when she'd asked the same question.

Malon bit her lip. "Ah…" She clasped her hands together and looked back into the crowds. "So you have somebody to go back to…" She mumbled slightly.

Link frowned. "No." He said simply, the word weighted with more meaning than she'd expected.

Her head snapped back to him, and after a moment realization appeared on her face. "Oh… I see… Sorry, Link…"

He shrugged it off before standing up. "Let's keep going." He began to head back into the crowd.

Malon looked at his back thoughtfully, taking in what she'd just learned from the short interaction. Then she quickly got up and followed him, taking his arm again as they once again lost themselves in the many stalls and games.

* * *

 _Her violet eyes seemed to glow as they looked at him lovingly, her soft hand caressing his cheek as she lay on her side facing him, her nude body hidden under a thin sheet. He smiled back at her, feeling happy and content, something that had been rare for him ever since he left the forest._

 _Their faces came together as they kissed, Link marvelling at the feel of her lips on his, the taste of her lingering even after she'd pulled back. Using his grip on her waist he pulled her body against his, her soft curves fitting perfectly with his chiselled body. The smile on her beautiful face widened as she felt him, and not to be undone she pushed herself up, catching him by surprise as she got on top of him, sitting on his waist, hands on his chest._

 _Laying on his back now he reached up, tangling his fingers in her silky hair, unwilling to let her have it all her way. The soft, aroused gasp that escaped her lips inflamed his passions, and she smiled down at him eagerly, shifting her body to continued their activities._

 _Leaning down she brought her lips back to his, only slightly brushing them together as she stared into his eyes. "I love you, Link…" She murmured softly before kissing him again, not giving him a moment to respond verbally._

* * *

Link opened his eyes as the morning sun slipped through his window, the sounds of Castle Town beginning its day helping rouse him from his sleep. He lay still, staring at the ceiling as he held onto the memory that had invaded his dreams. It'd been some time since he'd thought of those days, and he wanted savor it.

Eventually the sounds of his fairy waking up roused him, and he sat up on the bed, his bare feet landing on the cool wooden floor. Stretching and yawning slightly he began his morning routine once again as he waited for Navi to become coherent. She'd arrived the previous night from her information gathering as he'd prepared for bed, mumbled that she'd tell him what she found out in the morning, and promptly passed out on her small bed.

He was just finishing his sit ups when she muttered a good morning and grabbed a drink of water from the thimbleful he'd prepared for her the previous day. Finally more awake she sat down and looked at her partner. "So, I found out why Sir Fop is so confident about facing you." She said, sipping her water. At his grunt she continued. "Apparently he has an enchanted sword that has been passed down in his family for generations. He faced a goron earlier in the tournament and almost took off an arm when his opponent didn't protect himself thinking his natural durability would see him through. He backs that up with being an actually halfway decent swordsman." Another sip of water. "His arrogance has been known to get the better of him when up against more skilled knights though. Though some people throw fights with him because of the influence his family has."

Link paused in his exercises, thinking over what he'd been told. Now that he had some idea of what his opponent had in his arsenal he could begin to come up with some plans. Still, they'd need to remain fluid until he actually saw how what level of skill the knight possessed.

He was just finishing dressing when Malon knocked on the door, entering after he'd given permission. Seeing that he was dressed she hid a brief flash of disappointment which Navi didn't miss before speaking. "Breakfast is ready, Fairy Boy. Need to get ready for your fights."

Link tapped his feet, settling his boots, before looking at Malon and nodding. "Thanks." Shortly afterward he sat at the same table as the previous day, having a hearty meal and a nice conversation.

"Word has been going around that your opponent has been despariaging you, my boy." Talon said as he set his glass of milk down. "He's been saying that you're a coward that couldn't handle a straight fight against a 'true warrior'." The older man said with literal air quotes. "He said that he will easily defeat you, even if you use another 'unnatural transformation' to give yourself 'unearned strength'." Talon seemed to be having fun with his air quotes.

Malon growled at the news her father provided. "What an arrogant bastard." She muttered angrily, viciously ripping some sweet bread to pieces. "Link is a hundred times the warrior he is."

"Pretty rich for him to complain about 'unearned strength' considering his own enchanted weapon." And now Navi was doing it. "He's just an elitist noble who looks down on those not born into entitlement lashing out because of what Link did during the dinner at the palace. Link will rip him apart."

Talon turned to the younger man. "Do you have any plans for the fight?"

Link considered that as he chewed on some bacon. Slowly a smile appeared on his lips, the kind that had Talon and Malon shifting away slightly. "I believe so…"

* * *

The stands were once again packed to the brim, every single person in Hyrule apparently wanting to see the final few rounds of the tournament and find out who the champion was going to be. The king and sages once again sat in the royal section, ready for another exciting day.

"Link's fight is one of the first, right?" Ruto asked as the first fighters took their places in the arena, a gerudo against a goron.

"Yes." Zelda said as she glanced at the day's brackets. "The one after this one, in fact."

"I heard some of the palace servants saying that his opponent was bad mouthing Link to anybody who would listen." Nabooru said frostily even as she kept her eyes glued on the fight that had just begun.

"Indeed, I heard the same." Darunia agreed, also watching intently despite the hardness in his voice.

Nohansen sighed. "Yes, Sir Valeti. He is known to be rather arrogant and petty. Definitely not one of the best examples of knights we have. His personal distaste is no doubt exacerbated by the fact that the lord he serves is one of those Sir Link humiliated during the dinner he attended. I have no doubt he was told to put the young man 'in his place', as it were."

"I look forward to seeing Link eat him alive, then." Nabooru said, a sadistic smile on her lips.

Eventually the current fight ended with the goron's stamina and natural toughness narrowly overcoming the gerudo's fighting prowess and skill, to Darunia's approval. He was in rough shape, though, showing how close things had been.

Once the two fighters had been helped out of the arena the next fighters were announced. "Link of the Kokiri will face Sir Valeti Turen!"

Navi flew over to Zelda as the two fighters entered the arena to the cheers of the crowd, those in the royal seats becoming more attentive. Once the fight began Valeti took a ready stance, preparing himself for any attack Link might launch. Arrogant as he may be, he was still a serious knight.

"Do you know what Link has planned, Navi?" Zelda asked her friend, who sat on her backrest.

"No clue." The fairy said with a shake of her head. "It's going to be good though. I think Link's annoyed with Sir Fop. He's hard to anger, but he does have his pride."

Link moved his hands much as he had the previous day, a mask appearing in his hands. Nobody there could tell what it was of due to the way he held it, but everybody immediately became more interested, eager to see another amazing transformation.

"Become whatever you wish, boy." Valeti sneered, adjusting his stance slightly. "I will defeat even your greatest form, as is my right."

The corners of Link's mouth twitched upwards in a smile before he quickly brought the mask up to his face. Much as the previous day, there was a cry of pain and a flash of light before Link was gone, another, much smaller, figure taking his place.

Zelda was sure she wasn't wasn't the only one to blink in shock at what she was seeing, if the sudden silence that fell upon the crowd was any indication. In fact, the only thing she really heard for a few long seconds was Nabooru's flat "What."

Where Link once stood was a short wooden being a little over half his height. It had a large, spherical head of rough wood, with hair made out of yellow-green leaves under a hat like Link's, except long enough to brush against the ground. It had large, orange-yellow eyes and a circular opening in place of a mouth. Its upper body was bare of clothing, and much like Zora Link it wore a green skirt that looked a lot like the lower part of Link's tunic. Brown boots completed the ensemble.

It was absurd, but there was no doubt as to what Link had become, the King being the first one to give it voice. "Did Sir Link just become a _deku scrub_?"

"Looks like it." Navi said, an edge of hysteria in her voice.

The crowd began to murmur to each other in confusion before an angry voice cut through the noise. "Are you mocking me, you lowborn brat!?" Valeti roared in a rage, his hands clenching his enchanted sword so hard several people were surprised he hadn't injured himself.

Deku Link seemed to crack his neck nonchalantly before hopping slightly on his feet, motioning to Valeti in the universal 'Come at me' gesture. The knight eagerly complied, a snarl on his face as he rushed the deku scrub.

Just as he was about to bring his sword down on the smaller being's head a deku nut hit the ground in front of him, bursting into a flash and making the hylian man stumble to a halt with a cry at the unexpected brightness. When he managed to get the glare out of his eyes he looked to see that the deku scrub was gone from in front of him. Then he stumbled forward with a cry as something impacted against the back of his head, making him turn around to find Deku Link wielding a long deku stick like a staff, which was coming down even as he turned to strike him in the face.

Nabooru couldn't help it, bursting out laughing as she watched Link make a fool of the knight. "I think he should have worn a helmet!" She cackled.

Zelda hid her mouth with her hand. "I think he wanted people to be able to see his face."

"That backfired." Ruto said with a giggle.

Valeti finally swung his sword down, aiming to cut his opponent in two, damn the rules, but Link literally twirled away, avoiding the blow with ease. When he stopped he blew a quick bubble at the knight, which impacted against the man's face, bursting with a crack and small flash, which made Valeti cry out and flinch backwards, which gave Link plenty of time to bring his staff down on his head again, the knight stumbling backwards once more.

When he finally opened his eyes, a trickle of blood trailing from his brow, he once again found his opponent missing. He was about to whirl around and go to a strike when he felt something hard and strong hit the back of his knees. Caught by surprise he didn't manage to react in time and fell down, kneeling on the ground. He looked around behind him only to find Link swinging his staff around at his head. Then he dropped like a sack of grain, knocked out as the deku stick shattered against his head from the force.

Everything was silent for a moment before the crowd began to cheer once more, many laughing at the way the knight had been humiliated by a supposedly weak enemy who had handicapped himself in the process.

Sir Valeti Turen would not be living this even down anytime soon.

In the royal seats Nabooru had stood up and began to clap as she laughed loudly, her cackling joined by Darunia's own bellows of mirth. The king smiled as he clapped politely, trying to hide his own mirth as Ruto and Zelda did the same.

Navi was cackling much like Nabooru as she watched the defeated knight be put on a stretcher and carried out, a large goose egg visible on the side of his head. "I didn't expect Link to go that far to humiliate Sir Fop, but I'm not complaining!"

"It also rather handily showed the crowd that Link is not one to be messed with lightly." Zelda said thoughtfully. "He defeated his opponent while in a weakened state through ingenuity and combat skill. No doubt everybody now realizes that Link can win even when he seems to be at a disadvantage."

"I'm interested in his transformations." Ruto said with a light blush on her cheeks. "Hopefully we'll be able to talk to him about it soon."

Navi was just about to leave to go back to her partner's side when the King spoke. "Navi." She turned at attention, waiting for him to continue. "See if your partner would be willing to join us for dinner again. Maybe then we can get some answers."

Navi nodded. "Yes sir, I'll ask and let you know during his next fight." With that she flitted off.

* * *

"Is everything prepared?"

"Yes, our agents are in position, the beast is ready to be let loose, and our enemies are none the wiser."

"Very good. In that case, begin the attack. Let's eliminate Hyrule's ability to make war in one fell swoop."

A roar resounded throughout the land, along with the beating of enormous wings.

* * *

 _ **I return!**_

 _ **So, this story once again won the poll. I meant to have it out yesterday but I've been sick with flu, which has slowed things down. Still, it's up now, so I won't complain.**_

 _ **Not too much to talk about this time. I'd been wanting to get to the fight with Sir Fop ever since I conceived of it. Link using his weakest form to humiliate an arrogant noble was just too good to pass up.**_

 _ **The hints into what happened while Link was away were also carefully considered. They will definitely have an effect on the story going forward.**_

 _ **The most important part of the chapter was undoubtedly the very end, though. This is when things begin happening. Next chapter is going to be action packed as all hell. I've been looking forward to it.**_

 _ **As always, I shall remind you all that you can have a voice in what I write by donating to my Pat A Ron, where there's a monthly poll for what gets updated. December's poll is going to be a bit special, as the two stories with the most votes will both be updated instead of just one. No Good Deed isn't on that poll due to me needing to plan some things out (which I have now done), but there are plenty of other things to vote on. So that's Pat A Ron dotcom /athanmortis.**_

 _ **Thank you all for reading. Please review. Till next time!**_


	7. Fire and Lightning

Link relaxed on his seat in the fighter's waiting area, drink in hand, after his latest fight, lips quirked in amusement at the beating he'd given the arrogant knight. He was not normally one to give in to pride, but everybody had their limit, as Mido had often found out when he pushed a bit too far.

Navi arrived in short order, a wide smile on her face as she settled on her partner's shoulder. "Well, you sure showed Sir Fop the error of his ways. His fellow knights will never let him live this down. He's not exactly popular among them."

Link simply chuckled before sipping on his fruit juice, imagining what Turen had to look forward to when he encountered his peers.

Kicking her feet Navi looked at him as he relaxed. "So… a deku scrub? You never mentioned that."

"Wanted to surprise you." Was his simple response before he looked up as a pair of men in armor approached.

"We saw what you did to Sir Turen, kid…" One of them, his head shaved and a goatee on his face, growled.

Link watched them placidly, sipping his drink without worry, though Navi eyed them darkly.

Then both of them burst out laughing. "Twas the most hilarious thing I've seen in all my time as a knight!" The second man, who had pitch black hair and grey eyes, exclaimed between guffaws.

Link smiled in response as Navi sighed and relaxed when it became apparent there wouldn't be a fight.

"Sir Anodai, Sir Muskei, you had me worried for a moment." The fairy said as the two knights regained control of themselves.

"Apologies, Lady Navi." Said the bald one with a slight bow. "We simply wished to show our appreciation to your companion." He turned to Link. "Turen is not regarded too highly among the knighthood. Many of us are from common origins, elevated to their stations during the last war, and most of the rest hold no bias against those that are."

"Turen and those of his ilk are from the more self important nobility, the kinds that see everyone else as an inferior meant to lick their boots." The dark haired man continued where his companion left off. "They did not view the princess' favor of you in a good light. I would advise you to be on your guard. They're liable to lash out even more now, after what you just did. But where are my manners?" He held out a gauntleted hand to shake. "Sir Lerin Muskei."

"Sir Nelis Anodai." The other said, shaking Link's hand as well.

"Link. Of the Kokiri." Link introduced himself as he shook their hands.

"So we've heard." Anodai said. "It was well known that Lady Navi served the princess while searching for her missing Kokiri partner, but we expected a child, not a man such as you. Her presence by your side does speak to the truth of the matter, however."

Link shrugged. "I'm adopted."

"So we'd heard." Muskei said with a nod. "We may have not been knights at the time, but you have our apologies on behalf of the order for any role we had in your orphaning. The war was not a clean affair by any stretch of the imagination."

Link waved his hand. "I am content with my current life."

The two knights nodded, pleased by his attitude. "In any case, how do you feel about your odds in the rest of the tour-" Muskei cut himself off, eyes widening when the sound of heavy bells began to come from Castle Town.

Link frowned when he saw that not only the knights, but many of the other fighters in the waiting area had gone stiff, looking around in alarm. He glanced over at Navi only to find her mouth hanging open. "Navi?"

She turned her head to look at him so quickly he was afraid she might have hurt herself. "Link, that's the alarm Zelda had set up in case of any sort of incoming threat or attack. Something tells me this isn't a drill."

She'd barely finished her sentence before Link had bolted from his seat and began to rush out of the fighters' area, the two knights, plus several other competitors, right behind him.

* * *

"What's wrong?" Zelda snapped out to her attendant as soon as she heard the warning bells begin to ring, getting to her feet and looking around at the crowd in the stands, grimacing as she realized how disadvantageous the current situation was. Everything seemed normal as she was talking to the sages, so she couldn't fathom what could have happened.

Before her attendant could answer one of the guards that kept watch over the crowd from the top of the stands rushed down to the royal seats. "Your highness!" He gasped out to Nohansen. "Some sort of beast approaches from the southeast! It appears to be some sort of dragon!"

The rulers there paled and balked, none more so than Darunia, memories of Volvagia running through his mind. "You're certain!?" The king asked seriously, doing his best to keep control of his sudden panic at the news.

"It is still somewhat distant, but our spyglasses helped to determine it. We're as sure as possible at the moment." The guard responded promptly. "From our estimates we have ten minutes at most before it arrives.

Zelda didn't waste a single moment. "I want the civilians immediately evacuated from the stadium. The town is better defended against dragon fire than a wooden structure. All archers and mages are to assemble to do battle with the beast. Get as many of the tournament fighters and mercenaries to assist as you can. We can pay them back once the crisis is over. A continuous watch must also be kept in case of any additional attackers." She quickly turned to her fellow sages. "I trust I have your cooperation in repelling this attack?"

"Of course." Nabooru said with a nod, serious for once. "I'll organize my women to back your forces up."

"Same here." Ruto said firmly, Darunia nodding gravely behind her. "My water mages should be useful in countering the dragon's fire." The zora continued.

"And my people can cause more damage than most if we manage to ground the thing." Darunia rumbled.

As Zelda nodded in understanding Hyrule's king simply looked on. His daughter hadn't even thought to glance at him before beginning to give out orders, authority radiating from her so that nobody even thought to question what she said. Some in his position would be upset at being sidelined in such a way, but Nohansen simply felt pride at his daughter's ability to lead. She would make an excellent ruler when the time came, no doubt leading the kingdom into a new golden age.

The people in the stands began to be evacuated, worry and fear widespread, but thankfully not so much that they were panicking just yet.

Zelda was about to lead the other leaders out as well when another guard rushed over to them. "Your highness!" He briefly looked to be at a loss for words.

Zelda raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

Upon being told she quickly made her to the highest point of the stadium, the sages and her father close behind. When she reached it she looked out over Hyrule field. The first thing she saw was the dragon, now much closer and most definitely headed their way. The second thing was what she'd been told about.

Nabooru was the one to give voice to their thoughts. "What the hell is he doing?"

* * *

"What the hell are we doing!?" Navi cried as she held onto Link's shoulder for dear life, the wind buffeting her as Epona galloped at top speed towards the approaching dragon.

"Stopping it." Link answered in his usual manner as he held on tightly to Epona's reins, eyes locked at the quickly approaching form of the airborne terror.

Epona, for her part, simply snorted as she saw what they were headed towards. Had her rider or his companion been able to understand her at that moment they would have heard her mutter "Great, _another_ dragon."

The dragon in question was large, with a wingspan of thirty feet. It had rough, red scales edged with back, and odd patterns on the wing membrane. Its tail ended in a sharp spike that seemed to be intended for stabbing, and its head was shaped like an arrowhead, great teeth filling an almost beaked maw, and comparatively small golden eyes glaring malevolently.

When they got close enough to make out the details of the beast Navi spoke. "I don't recognize the species."

"It's a Rathalos Drake." Link informed her, eyes narrowed. "Native to Paracemia."

"One of the places you've been?" The fairy asked. At his nod she spoke again. "Well what in the name of the goddesses is it doing here? And how do we beat it?"

"It's weak to lightning magic." He told her as they finally got close enough that the dragon fixated on them, turning slightly to attack.

"And here us without a lightning mage." Navi said sarcastically.

Link's lips quirked up before he made his bow appear, a quiver of arrows on his back. Waiting till they were close enough he took aim, electricity beginning to spark along the arrowhead. When he let loose just as the dragon was about to let out its breath attack on them, the arrow shot out like a bolt of lightning, a small thunder blast ringing out.

The dragon didn't have enough time to dodge and was struck right at the wing joint. It let out a cry and briefly tumbled from the sky before catching itself and rising back up. Now angry it turned to follow its attackers as they passed by, letting out a roar of fury.

"I think you got its attention." The fairy said as she kept an eye on their pursuer, quickly getting back in the groove of fighting alongside her partner. In spite of the situation she felt a smile stretch across her face. This was what she had been missing all these years. Facing danger alongside her kokiri was where she belonged. She was finally complete again.

"Hope things are going well back in town." She said as Epona turned to avoid a blast of fire from the dragon.

* * *

Zelda, the King, the Sages, and various officials and knights all watched in awe as one man fought a dragon from horseback single handedly, bolts of lightning flying from his bow to strike at the beast, which constantly tried to take out its attacker with bursts of flame.

"Incredible." One of the knights breathed, and Zelda couldn't help the feeling of pride for her friend that filled her. It had been so long since she'd seen what he was truly capable of that it left her in awe as well. And she could tell her fellow sages felt the same way.

"Organize a force to join him on the field." She ordered quickly to one of the messengers that had approached to ferry any orders. "We shouldn't leave it all to him. Use the time he's given us to continue reinforcing the town as well." She was interrupted before she could continue when her sharp eyes caught sight of a dagger slipping out of the messenger's coat and flashing towards her at blinding speed.

The action was so quick she was almost too late, but her training asserted herself and she deflected the blow with a quick sweep of her arm, a knife of her own appearing in her hand as if by magic out of the folds of her dress to stab forward, hitting her assailant in the shoulder, causing him to cry out in surprise and pain. Then she stepped forward and slammed a palm thrust upwards into the man's chin, making his teeth clack together loudly before he fell backward onto the stairs, stunned, and hit his head against one of the corners with a crack, blood splattering along the wood.

Zelda only took a moment to gather her wits after what had just happened before turning her attention to what was going on around her, finding the other sages under attack as well. Impa was dealing with an assailant in finery that had attacked the king, stabbing a knife into their eye. A woman in the dress of a servant tried to hit Darunia in the throat with a small mace only for him to block with one arm and lash out with a punch from the other, a loud crack resounding as he struck her face, the woman falling onto the seats below, unconscious.

Nabooru dealt with two men that attacked her with short swords, dancing around their strikes and lashing out with hand to hand blows of her own, showing why she was leader of the Gerudo. One of the men was thrown over the wall to fall to the ground below, headfirst, before the thief disarmed the second one and stabbed him in the heart with his own blade.

Ruto, for her part, had the most trouble, but that wasn't saying much. She had a small cut on her arm, but she'd called up some water magic and encased her attacker's head in a bubble of water. The woman that had tried to kill the zora dropped her dagger and panicked, trying foolishly to draw breath and simply ending up drowning herself that much quicker.

Other nobles and knights were also attacked, but many of them weren't as lucky or skilled as the sages, and more than one fell to the attackers' blades. The knights faired better than the nobles, but not all of them would make it out alive when all was said and done.

A knife in each hand, Zelda watched this all happen, her heart clenching as she realized that her peaceful days were once again over, and this time she didn't know why. "What's going on…?" She whirled around when she heard a loud cry of pain come from behind her.

* * *

Epona whinnied in irritation when she had to dodge another burst of dragon fire. She couldn't fathom why her Link hadn't dealt with the overgrown lizard already.

Link, for his part, pursed his lips as another lightning arrow hit the dragon in its scaled chest, adding to the score of scorch marks that he'd been inflicting. It tumbled before barely catching itself in time to avoid slamming into the ground, but it did not do so as gracefully as it had before, obviously tiring. Still, he was surprised at the creature's resilience. Most Rathalos Drakes would have already fallen to the ground, their bodies disrupted by the electricity too much to be able to keep going.

"Stubborn bastard, isn't he?" Navi said.

"It's been enhanced." Link said grimly.

"What do you mean?" The fairy asked, surprised.

"It should have gone down by now. Someone used magic to make it stronger."

Navi glanced at Link's quiver. "You've got five arrows left. Any ideas?"

Link looked at her briefly before abruptly pulling on Epona's reins, making her turn once again, now heading straight for the drake. He drew another arrow even as his enemy prepared itself to breathe fire again.

"Link?" Navi asked when she saw he wasn't moving to avoid it this time. "Link!?" She asked more loudly, getting concerned. "LINK!?" She shrieked as the fire streamed out, enveloping the three of them in its heat.

Before the breath attack had run its course another lightning arrow shot out of the conflagration to punch into the roof of the drake's mouth, making it shriek in agony and finally fall from the sky even as Epona burst out of the cloud of flames, Nayru's Love protecting her and her passengers. She then quickly turned to head towards the stunned beast.

Navi was clutching onto Link with a death grip, eyes wide and terrified. Then she punched him in the head, which didn't actually do much beyond make her feel a bit better. "Don't ever do that again, you oaf!" She yelled, making him chuckle, much to her indignation.

The drake managed to force itself to its feet as they approached, roaring at them in rage before taking a deep breath and shooting fire at them once again. Thankfully Nayru's Love held and Epona kept galloping forward, undaunted.

As they got closer Link sent his bow and arrows back into storage, a spear appearing his hand, which was quickly pointed at the Rathalos. The head of the weapon sparked and crackled with electricity as its wielder's eyes narrowed in concentration.

The beast was incensed by their continued survival and began to lumber towards them, ready to rip them to shreds with its enormous teeth since its fire did not seem to be working.

When the two met Epona moved to the side to evade the bite she saw coming, allowing Link to score a hit to its flank and along the membrane of its wing, tearing great strips out of both. The drake screeched in pain and turned with surprising swiftness, following after them.

Link, seeing that the monster was too close to turn and use the lance again, briefly let go of Epona's reins, trusting to her to keep going without direction. Then he made a bomb appear in his free hand, igniting the fuse with the electricity from the spear and dropping it behind them after waiting a second. He was rewarded with an explosion and screech of pain from the Rathalos. Glancing backwards he saw it was stunned and quickly took advantage to turn Epona and charge straight at the drake.

The beast shook its head in order to recover its senses after the blast of the bomb hit it in the underside of its head, dazing it. Unfortunately for it coherence did not arrive quickly enough, and it looked up just in time to see the tip of Link's spear as it stabbed into the Rathalos' eye, the electricity bursting through its body even as the weapon itself went deep into its brain.

Without another sound the Rathalos collapsed to the ground, wrenching the spear from Link's grasp as it remained buried in the monster's skull. With one last shudder it went still, its remaining eye unseeing.

Epona slowed to a stop, whickering softly at the sight of their defeated foe. At Link's prompting she slowly began to approach, wary that it might be playing dead despite the damage it had endured. Navi left the Hylian's shoulder, carefully approaching the dragon and examining it, looking into its blank eye.

"I think you got it." She said, feeling relief travel through her. She'd been worried about what this thing could do if it reached Castle Town. Thankfully she wouldn't need to find out.

Link climbed off Epona with his hand on the hilt of his sword, still being cautious but reassured by the fairy's words. When he reached the large head without incident he reached down, pulling the spear out of the monster's skull with a squelch, the weapon covered in blood and brain matter. Sighing and knowing he'd have to spend a while later cleaning it he placed it in his storage before heading back to Epona. "We need to check in with Zelda." He told Navi.

Said fairy nodded as she moved to sit on Link's shoulder again. "Right. We need to figure out why a dragon from another land came to Hyrule." She rubbed her arm, shivering slightly. "I have a bad feeling about this…"

Link spurred Epona into motion, the mare beginning to trot back towards the stadium to make sure everything was alright.

When they arrived at the fairgrounds they were surprised to see bodies scattered about, along with madics rushing about, tending to wounded knights. Spotting Impa standing near one of the stalls, waiting for them, Link directed Epona towards her, quickly sliding off the saddle once he was close enough. He didn't notice the awe that many looked at him with, too focused on his old friend and the current situation.

"The Princess has ordered that you be brought to her immediately once you returned." Impa said as soon as he got close enough, not giving him a chance to speak first. "As you can see, we were attacked while you were dealing with the dragon."

"How are Zelda and the rest of the Sages?" Navi asked immediately.

"The Sages are fine." Impa said before hesitating. "However, the King…"

Link's eyes narrowed before he turned and began heading towards the castle, Impa following along once she'd had someone collect Epona and take her to the stables.

As he walked Link sighed. As always, it seemed he was once again in the middle of a new conflict. It was time to find out who his enemies were this time.

* * *

 _ **Yay action chapter!**_

 _ **As stated before, this is the chapter where the plot proper starts. I have plans for things going forward. So many plans… *Evil Laugh***_

 _ **In any case, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I had fun writing it, even if I did get stuck at a few points.**_

 _ **As always, please remember that you can have a say in what I write each month by donating to my Pat A Ron. For each dollar you donate you get one vote in my monthly poll. This month's features a double poll, one for which of my recently updated stories to add a chapter to, another to choose one of the stories that haven't been updated in a while. Again, that's at Pat A Ron dotcom /athanmortis.**_

 _ **Thanks everyone for your support. Till next time, please review!**_


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